Aggressive or conservative management in extradural hematomas in children – a challenging neurosurgical choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tascu A.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available epidural hematomas (EDH in children appear as a consequence of head trauma. Although emergency surgical intervention was the classical neurosurgical treatment for EDH, lately there has been observed a tendency to replace operation by conservative management, whenever the neurological status and imaging appearance allows it. The aim of this article is to present our experience in treating EDH in children 0-3 years old and to establish a management protocol for EDH in infants, by evaluating the clinical and neuroimaging status, of both surgically and conservatively treated patients, from hospital admission to discharge. Retrospective study includes 52 patients diagnosed with an extradural hematoma, admitted in the First Neurosurgery Department of the Clinical Hospital ‘Bagdasar-Arseni’ in Bucharest, from January 2004 to December 2013. The patients were identified by diagnosis from the clinic’s database; clinical and imaging data was extracted from the patient’s individual records and crosschecked with the operating protocols. Cerebral CT scan was the preferred imaging investigation for diagnosis. Our study includes 52 patients (26 boys and 26 girls, with a mean age of 14.5 months (range 6 weeks - 3 years old. 25 patients were surgically treated, while the other 27 received symptomatic medication and were monitored clinically and by imaging exams. The most frequent clinical manifestations were intracranial hypertension (21 patients and psychomotor agitation (19 patients. The traumatic mechanisms were: accidental falling (38 patients, blunt head trauma (3 patients, road accident (2 patients, unspecified (8 patients other causes (1 patient. Based on the Glasgow Coma Scale classification of TBI, 39 patients suffered a mild TBI, 7 a moderate TBI and 6 patients suffered a severe TBI. Most of the patients had a good recovery; there was a total of two deaths. The most common location for the EDHs was parietal (20 patients and temporal-parietal (11

Built heritage monitoring conservation management

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Boriani, Maurizio; Guidi, Gabriele

2015-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview on the most pressing issues in the conservation and management of archaeological, architectural, and urban landscapes. Multidisciplinary research is presented on a wide range of built heritage sites, from archaeological ruins and historic centers through to twentieth century and industrial architectural heritage. The role of ICT and new technologies, including those used for digital archiving, surveying, modeling, and monitoring, is extensively discussed, in recognition of their importance for professionals working in the field. Detailed attention is also paid to materials and treatments employed in preventive conservation and management. With contributions from leading experts, including university researchers, professionals, and policy makers, the book will be invaluable for all who seek to understand, and solve, the challenges faced in the protection and enhancement of the built heritage.

Land Management Restrictions and Options for Change in Perpetual Conservation Easements

Science.gov (United States)

Rissman, Adena; Bihari, Menka; Hamilton, Christopher; Locke, Christina; Lowenstein, David; Motew, Melissa; Price, Jessica; Smail, Robert

2013-07-01

Conservation organizations rely on conservation easements for diverse purposes, including protection of species and natural communities, working forests, and open space. This research investigated how perpetual conservation easements incorporated property rights, responsibilities, and options for change over time in land management. We compared 34 conservation easements held by one federal, three state, and four nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin. They incorporated six mechanisms for ongoing land management decision-making: management plans (74 %), modifications to permitted landowner uses with discretionary consent (65 %), amendment clauses (53 %), easement holder rights to conduct land management (50 %), reference to laws or policies as compliance terms (47 %), and conditional use permits (12 %). Easements with purposes to protect species and natural communities had more ecological monitoring rights, organizational control over land management, and mechanisms for change than easements with general open space purposes. Forestry purposes were associated with mechanisms for change but not necessarily with ecological monitoring rights or organizational control over land management. The Natural Resources Conservation Service-Wetland Reserve Program had a particularly consistent approach with high control over land use and some discretion to modify uses through permits. Conservation staff perceived a need to respond to changing social and ecological conditions but were divided on whether climate change was likely to negatively impact their conservation easements. Many conservation easements involved significant constraints on easement holders' options for altering land management to achieve conservation purposes over time. This study suggests the need for greater attention to easement drafting, monitoring, and ongoing decision processes to ensure the public benefits of land conservation in changing landscapes.

Riparian Meadow Response to Modern Conservation Grazing Management

Science.gov (United States)

Oles, Kristin M.; Weixelman, Dave A.; Lile, David F.; Tate, Kenneth W.; Snell, Laura K.; Roche, Leslie M.

2017-09-01

Riparian meadows occupy a small proportion of the public lands in the western United States but they provide numerous ecosystem services, including the production of high-quality forage for livestock grazing. Modern conservation management strategies (e.g., reductions in livestock stocking rates and adoption of new riparian grazing standards) have been implemented to better balance riparian conservation and livestock production objectives on publicly managed lands. We examined potential relationships between long-term changes in plant community, livestock grazing pressure and environmental conditions at two spatial scales in meadows grazed under conservation management strategies. Changes in plant community were not associated with either livestock stocking rate or precipitation at the grazing allotment (i.e., administrative) scale. Alternatively, both grazing pressure and precipitation had significant, albeit modest, associations with changes in plant community at the meadow (i.e., ecological site) scale. These results suggest that reductions in stocking rate have improved the balance between riparian conservation and livestock production goals. However, associations between elevation, site wetness, precipitation, and changes in plant community suggest that changing climate conditions (e.g., reduced snowpack and changes in timing of snowmelt) could trigger shifts in plant communities, potentially impacting both conservation and agricultural services (e.g., livestock and forage production). Therefore, adaptive, site-specific management strategies are required to meet grazing pressure limits and safeguard ecosystem services within individual meadows, especially under more variable climate conditions.

Oak woodland conservation management planning in southern CA - lessons learned

Science.gov (United States)

Rosi Dagit

2015-01-01

The California Oak Woodlands Conservation Act (AB 242 2001) established requirements for the preservation and protection of oak woodlands and trees, and allocated funding managed by the Wildlife Conservation Board. In order to qualify to use these funds, counties and cities need to adopt an oak conservation management plan. Between 2008 and 2011, a team of concerned...

Effectiveness of alternative management strategies in meeting conservation objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Richards S. Holthausen; Carolyn Hull Sieg

2007-01-01

This chapter evaluates how well various management strategies meet a variety of conservation objectives, summarizes their effectiveness in meeting objectives for rare or little-known (RLK) species, and proposes ways to combine strategies to meet overall conservation objectives. We address two broad categories of management strategies. Species approaches result in...

Maximizing conservation benefit for grassland species with contrasting management requirements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teeffelen, van A.J.A.; Cabeza, M.; Poyry, J.; Raatikainen, K.; Kuussaari, M.

2008-01-01

Conservation management often encompasses multiple, alternative management actions on a given site, involving habitat restoration and maintenance for example. Which actions are preferable depends on the conservation goals, the expected outcomes of actions, and their associated costs. When actions

Effects of threat management interactions on conservation priorities.

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Auerbach, Nancy A; Wilson, Kerrie A; Tulloch, Ayesha I T; Rhodes, Jonathan R; Hanson, Jeffrey O; Possingham, Hugh P

2015-12-01

Decisions need to be made about which biodiversity management actions are undertaken to mitigate threats and about where these actions are implemented. However, management actions can interact; that is, the cost, benefit, and feasibility of one action can change when another action is undertaken. There is little guidance on how to explicitly and efficiently prioritize management for multiple threats, including deciding where to act. Integrated management could focus on one management action to abate a dominant threat or on a strategy comprising multiple actions to abate multiple threats. Furthermore management could be undertaken at sites that are in close proximity to reduce costs. We used cost-effectiveness analysis to prioritize investments in fire management, controlling invasive predators, and reducing grazing pressure in a bio-diverse region of southeastern Queensland, Australia. We compared outcomes of 5 management approaches based on different assumptions about interactions and quantified how investment needed, benefits expected, and the locations prioritized for implementation differed when interactions were taken into account. Managing for interactions altered decisions about where to invest and in which actions to invest and had the potential to deliver increased investment efficiency. Differences in high priority locations and actions were greatest between the approaches when we made different assumptions about how management actions deliver benefits through threat abatement: either all threats must be managed to conserve species or only one management action may be required. Threatened species management that does not consider interactions between actions may result in misplaced investments or misguided expectations of the effort required to mitigate threats to species. © 2015 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

River use, conservation and management among riverine ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

However the problem remains that many water resource planning and management regimes do not capture the views of the myriad of stakeholders and the many benefits of ecological services. This paper examines river use, conservation and management among riverine communities in South Eastern Nigeria using ...

76 FR 28954 - International Conservation and Management Measures Recognized by the United States

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-19

... International Conservation and Management Measures Recognized by the United States AGENCY: National Marine... international conservation and management measures recognized by the United States. To fulfill this requirement, a list of agreements resulting in international conservation and management measures was first...

The effect of scientific evidence on conservation practitioners' management decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Jessica C; Dicks, Lynn V; Sutherland, William J

2015-02-01

A major justification of environmental management research is that it helps practitioners, yet previous studies show it is rarely used to inform their decisions. We tested whether conservation practitioners focusing on bird management were willing to use a synopsis of relevant scientific literature to inform their management decisions. This allowed us to examine whether the limited use of scientific information in management is due to a lack of access to the scientific literature or whether it is because practitioners are either not interested or unable to incorporate the research into their decisions. In on-line surveys, we asked 92 conservation managers, predominantly from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, to provide opinions on 28 management techniques that could be applied to reduce predation on birds. We asked their opinions before and after giving them a summary of the literature about the interventions' effectiveness. We scored the overall effectiveness and certainty of evidence for each intervention through an expert elicitation process-the Delphi method. We used the effectiveness scores to assess the practitioners' level of understanding and awareness of the literature. On average, each survey participant changed their likelihood of using 45.7% of the interventions after reading the synopsis of the evidence. They were more likely to implement effective interventions and avoid ineffective actions, suggesting that their intended future management strategies may be more successful than current practice. More experienced practitioners were less likely to change their management practices than those with less experience, even though they were not more aware of the existing scientific information than less experienced practitioners. The practitioners' willingness to change their management choices when provided with summarized scientific evidence suggests that improved accessibility to scientific information would benefit conservation management

Traumatic injuries: role of imaging in the management of the polytrauma victim (conservative expectation)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poletti, Pierre-Alexandre; Becker, Christoph D.; Wintermark, Max; Schnyder, Pierre

2002-01-01

Abdominal US and CT play an important role in the initial management of blunt trauma in adults. Ultrasound is an excellent method for detection of free intra-abdominal fluid. It is the modality of choice for initial screening and enables selection of hemodynamically unstable trauma victims with severe hemoperitoneum for immediate surgery. However, even in experienced hands, US is not sufficient to rule out organ injuries reliably. Computed tomography, and particularly multislice CT (MSCT), has several major advantages over US and is currently unsurpassed for the detection of blunt visceral injuries in the abdomen. Computed tomography has a high sensitivity for the detection of parenchymal splenic and hepatic injuries. Injuries of the gastrointestinal tract may be detected with good sensitivity provided that adequate examination technique and careful diagnostic interpretation are combined. The value of CT-based injury-grading systems for predicting the outcome of conservative treatment remains unproven; however, demonstration of direct vascular injuries with CT, e.g., the intrasplenic ''contrast blush'' sign, may indicate a high likelihood that conservative treatment will fail, thus warranting angiographic embolization or surgery. Monitoring of conservatively treated trauma victims by means of repeat CT studies enables early detection of a variety of delayed, clinically silent complications of trauma, e.g., posttraumatic biloma or bowel devascularization. Catheter angiography may be reserved to selected cases with vascular injuries proven on CT. (orig.)

Traumatic injuries: role of imaging in the management of the polytrauma victim (conservative expectation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poletti, Pierre-Alexandre; Becker, Christoph D. [Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva (Switzerland); Wintermark, Max; Schnyder, Pierre [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, CHUV, Lausanne (Switzerland)

2002-05-01

Abdominal US and CT play an important role in the initial management of blunt trauma in adults. Ultrasound is an excellent method for detection of free intra-abdominal fluid. It is the modality of choice for initial screening and enables selection of hemodynamically unstable trauma victims with severe hemoperitoneum for immediate surgery. However, even in experienced hands, US is not sufficient to rule out organ injuries reliably. Computed tomography, and particularly multislice CT (MSCT), has several major advantages over US and is currently unsurpassed for the detection of blunt visceral injuries in the abdomen. Computed tomography has a high sensitivity for the detection of parenchymal splenic and hepatic injuries. Injuries of the gastrointestinal tract may be detected with good sensitivity provided that adequate examination technique and careful diagnostic interpretation are combined. The value of CT-based injury-grading systems for predicting the outcome of conservative treatment remains unproven; however, demonstration of direct vascular injuries with CT, e.g., the intrasplenic ''contrast blush'' sign, may indicate a high likelihood that conservative treatment will fail, thus warranting angiographic embolization or surgery. Monitoring of conservatively treated trauma victims by means of repeat CT studies enables early detection of a variety of delayed, clinically silent complications of trauma, e.g., posttraumatic biloma or bowel devascularization. Catheter angiography may be reserved to selected cases with vascular injuries proven on CT. (orig.)

Evidence, models, conservation programs and limits to management

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, J.D.

2012-01-01

Walsh et al. (2012) emphasized the importance of obtaining evidence to assess the effects of management actions on state variables relevant to objectives of conservation programs. They focused on malleefowl Leipoa ocellata, ground-dwelling Australian megapodes listed as vulnerable. They noted that although fox Vulpes vulpes baiting is the main management action used in malleefowl conservation throughout southern Australia, evidence of the effectiveness of this action is limited and currently debated. Walsh et al. (2012) then used data from 64 sites monitored for malleefowl and foxes over 23 years to assess key functional relationships relevant to fox control as a conservation action for malleefowl. In one set of analyses, Walsh et al. (2012) focused on two relationships: fox baiting investment versus fox presence, and fox presence versus malleefowl population size and rate of population change. Results led to the counterintuitive conclusion that increases in investments in fox control produced slight decreases in malleefowl population size and growth. In a second set of analyses, Walsh et al. (2012) directly assessed the relationship between investment in fox baiting and malleefowl population size and rate of population change. This set of analyses showed no significant relationship between investment in fox population control and malleefowl population growth. Both sets of analyses benefited from the incorporation of key environmental covariates hypothesized to influence these management relationships. Walsh et al. (2012) concluded that "in most situations, malleefowl conservation did not effectively benefit from fox baiting at current levels of investment." In this commentary, I discuss the work of Walsh et al. (2012) using the conceptual framework of structured decision making (SDM). In doing so, I accept their analytic results and associated conclusions as accurate and discuss basic ideas about evidence, conservation and limits to management.

Stakeholder-led science: engaging resource managers to identify science needs for long-term management of floodplain conservation lands

Science.gov (United States)

Bouska, Kristin L.; Lindner, Garth; Paukert, Craig P.; Jacobson, Robert B.

2016-01-01

Floodplains pose challenges to managers of conservation lands because of constantly changing interactions with their rivers. Although scientific knowledge and understanding of the dynamics and drivers of river-floodplain systems can provide guidance to floodplain managers, the scientific process often occurs in isolation from management. Further, communication barriers between scientists and managers can be obstacles to appropriate application of scientific knowledge. With the coproduction of science in mind, our objectives were the following: (1) to document management priorities of floodplain conservation lands, and (2) identify science needs required to better manage the identified management priorities under nonstationary conditions, i.e., climate change, through stakeholder queries and interactions. We conducted an online survey with 80 resource managers of floodplain conservation lands along the Upper and Middle Mississippi River and Lower Missouri River, USA, to evaluate management priority, management intensity, and available scientific information for management objectives and conservation targets. Management objectives with the least information available relative to priority included controlling invasive species, maintaining respectful relationships with neighbors, and managing native, nongame species. Conservation targets with the least information available to manage relative to management priority included pollinators, marsh birds, reptiles, and shore birds. A follow-up workshop and survey focused on clarifying science needs to achieve management objectives under nonstationary conditions. Managers agreed that metrics of inundation, including depth and extent of inundation, and frequency, duration, and timing of inundation would be the most useful metrics for management of floodplain conservation lands with multiple objectives. This assessment provides guidance for developing relevant and accessible science products to inform management of highly

Energy conservation: its planning and management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nanda, K.S.; Patra, K.C.

1995-01-01

Energy conservation, its planning and management and the development of renewable energy systems of proven design are very worthy challenges for all. Energy education at various levels is most important particularly in the development of renewable energy technology. 2 refs., 3 tabs

Engaging recreational fishers in management and conservation: global case studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Granek, E F; Madin, E M P; Brown, M A; Figueira, W; Cameron, D S; Hogan, Z; Kristianson, G; de Villiers, P; Williams, J E; Post, J; Zahn, S; Arlinghaus, R

2008-10-01

Globally, the number of recreational fishers is sizeable and increasing in many countries. Associated with this trend is the potential for negative impacts on fish stocks through exploitation or management measures such as stocking and introduction of non-native fishes. Nevertheless, recreational fishers can be instrumental in successful fisheries conservation through active involvement in, or initiation of, conservation projects to reduce both direct and external stressors contributing to fishery declines. Understanding fishers' concerns for sustained access to the resource and developing methods for their meaningful participation can have positive impacts on conservation efforts. We examined a suite of case studies that demonstrate successful involvement of recreational fishers in conservation and management activities that span developed and developing countries, temperate and tropical regions, marine and freshwater systems, and open- and closed-access fisheries. To illustrate potential benefits and challenges of involving recreational fishers in fisheries management and conservation, we examined the socioeconomic and ecological contexts of each case study. We devised a conceptual framework for the engagement of recreational fishers that targets particular types of involvement (enforcement, advocacy, conservation, management design [type and location], research, and monitoring) on the basis of degree of stakeholder stewardship, scale of the fishery, and source of impacts (internal or external). These activities can be enhanced by incorporating local knowledge and traditions, taking advantage of leadership and regional networks, and creating collaborations among various stakeholder groups, scientists, and agencies to maximize the probability of recreational fisher involvement and project success.

Fenced and Fragmented: Conservation Value of Managed Metapopulations

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Susan M.; Harper, Cindy K.; Bloomer, Paulette; Hofmeyr, Jennifer; Funston, Paul J.

2015-01-01

Population fragmentation is threatening biodiversity worldwide. Species that once roamed vast areas are increasingly being conserved in small, isolated areas. Modern management approaches must adapt to ensure the continued survival and conservation value of these populations. In South Africa, a managed metapopulation approach has been adopted for several large carnivore species, all protected in isolated, relatively small, reserves that are fenced. As far as possible these approaches are based on natural metapopulation structures. In this network, over the past 25 years, African lions (Panthera leo) were reintroduced into 44 fenced reserves with little attention given to maintaining genetic diversity. To examine the situation, we investigated the current genetic provenance and diversity of these lions. We found that overall genetic diversity was similar to that in a large national park, and included a mixture of four different southern African evolutionarily significant units (ESUs). This mixing of ESUs, while not ideal, provides a unique opportunity to study the impact of mixing ESUs over the long term. We propose a strategic managed metapopulation plan to ensure the maintenance of genetic diversity and improve the long-term conservation value of these lions. This managed metapopulation approach could be applied to other species under similar ecological constraints around the globe. PMID:26699333

Integrating In-Situ and Ex-Situ Data Management Processes for Biodiversity Conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karin R. Schwartz

2017-10-01

Full Text Available There is an increasing need for a “one plan approach” for conservation strategies that integrate in-situ and ex-situ management processes. Zoological institutions contribute directly to threatened species conservation through paradigms, such as reintroduction, head-starting, supplementation, or rescue/rehabilitation/release. This in-situ/ex-situ integration necessitates collaboration at all levels of conservation action including planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment to drive adaptive management processes. Each component is dependent on the availability and accuracy of data for evidence to facilitate evaluation and adaptive management processes. The Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS, managed by Species360, is a centralized web-based information system used in zoological institutions worldwide to pool life history, behavior and health data and facilitate animal husbandry, health, and breeding management processes. Currently used for few integrated conservation programs, ZIMS is an innovative tool that offers a new opportunity to link data management processes for animals that spend a part of their lives under human care and part in their natural environment and has great potential for use in managed wild populations.

Rangeland Brush Estimation Toolbox (RaBET): An Approach for Evaluating Brush Management Conservation Efforts in Western Grazing Lands

Science.gov (United States)

Holifield Collins, C.; Kautz, M. A.; Skirvin, S. M.; Metz, L. J.

2016-12-01

There are over 180 million hectares of rangelands and grazed forests in the central and western United States. Due to the loss of perennial grasses and subsequent increased runoff and erosion that can degrade the system, woody cover species cannot be allowed to proliferate unchecked. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has allocated extensive resources to employ brush management (removal) as a conservation practice to control woody species encroachment. The Rangeland-Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) has been tasked with determining how effective the practice has been, however their land managers lack a cost-effective means to conduct these assessments at the necessary scale. An ArcGIS toolbox for generating large-scale, Landsat-based, spatial maps of woody cover on grazing lands in the western United States was developed through a collaboration with NRCS Rangeland-CEAP. The toolbox contains two main components of operation, image generation and temporal analysis, and utilizes simple interfaces requiring minimum user inputs. The image generation tool utilizes geographically specific algorithms developed from combining moderate-resolution (30-m) Landsat imagery and high-resolution (1-m) National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) aerial photography to produce the woody cover scenes at the Major Land Resource (MLRA) scale. The temporal analysis tool can be used on these scenes to assess treatment effectiveness and monitor woody cover reemergence. RaBET provides rangeland managers an operational, inexpensive decision support tool to aid in the application of brush removal treatments and assessing their effectiveness.

Outcome of Conservative Management of Burns: Critical Review ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Management of burn continues to be a great challenge. Dressing and ... The state of depression was assessed using Beck classification of ... depression. Conclusion: Conservative management of burns is associated with more wound complications. Sudan Joural of Medical Studies Vol. 2 (1) 2007: pp. 25-28 ...

Diagnosis and conservative management of female stress urinary incontinence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anil Krishna Dass

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Urinary incontinence affects 17–45% of women worldwide and stress urinary incontinence is responsible for 48% of all cases. Detailed history, physical examination and investigations are crucial to identify the diagnosis underlying the incontinence symptoms to select effective therapy. Although mid-urethral sling procedures are considered to be ‘gold standard’ treatment of SUI, conservative treatment with pelvic floor muscle training and lifestyle modification is still the first line of management. This article discusses the diagnosis and conservative management of female SUI.

Assessment of management effectiveness of Lekki conservation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was carried out in the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC), a private ... questionnaires for three categories of respondents – tourists, NCF and LCC ... awareness education and resource management are some of the strengths of LCC.

Critical evaluation of the use of imaging techniques in the conservative treatment of breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pena, F.; Vega, C.; Pastrana, M.; Gonzalez, C.; Ramos, L.

1996-01-01

To establish the need for a sequential radiological study to contribute, together with other specialists in the management of these patients, to achieve the best possible results with this type of treatment: rates of survival comparable to those obtained with mastectomy and the highest possible percentages of breast preservation with satisfactory cosmetic results. Studies of 200 patients who underwent conservative treatment for breast cancer at Clinica Puerta de Hierro in Madrid over the past five years.We assess the utility of the different imaging methods and their application in each specific case. An update of the literature is also carried out. Radiology plays a major role in the management of patients who undergo conservative treatment for breast cancer. We demonstrate the need to carry out, in the first place, preoperative radiological studies to aid in the proper selection of patients and, secondly, examination of the resected tissue and postoperative mammography to ensure that the surgical resection was performed correctly. Finally, follow-up studies be carried out to detect tumor recurrence as early as possible. (Author) 82 refs

How Stakeholder Co-management Reproduces Conservation Conflicts: Revealing Rationality Problems in Swedish Wolf Conservation

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Erica von Essen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available 'Stakeholder' has become the primary category of political actor in decision-making, not least within nature conservation. Drawing from Habermas' theory on communicative action, this article argues that there are democratic deficits to the stakeholder model that promote citizens to remain locked in predetermined, polarized positions. It contends that the stakeholder model must, hence, be scrutinized with respect to its potential role in perpetuating conservation conflicts in modernity. Using the case study of stakeholder-based game management delegations (GMDs in Sweden, our research identifies four barriers, which tie to the instrumental basis and liberal democratic legacy of the stakeholder approach: 1 strong sense of accountability; 2 overly purposive atmosphere; 3 overemphasis on decision as final outcome; and 4 perceived inability on the part of the delegates to influence science-led decision-making. The article suggests that these democratic deficits preclude the deliberation and contestation necessary to legitimate conservation policy. Indeed, stakeholder rationality causes citizens to become inert, instrumental agents who approach discussion with strategic rather than communicative rationality. We conclude that the deficits of the stakeholder model currently: 1 restrict democratic freedom for citizens; 2 engender a crisis of legitimacy of management; and 3 reproduce the conflict, which in Sweden relates to the conservation of wolves.

Conservative Management for Stable High Ankle Injuries in Professional Football Players.

Science.gov (United States)

Knapik, Derrick M; Trem, Anthony; Sheehan, Joseph; Salata, Michael J; Voos, James E

High ankle "syndesmosis" injuries are common in American football players relative to the general population. At the professional level, syndesmotic sprains represent a challenging and unique injury lacking a standardized rehabilitation protocol during conservative management. PubMed, Biosis Preview, SPORTDiscus, PEDro, and EMBASE databases were searched using the terms syndesmotic injuries, American football, conservative management, and rehabilitation. Clinical review. Level 3. When compared with lateral ankle sprains, syndesmosis injuries result in significantly prolonged recovery times and games lost. For stable syndesmotic injuries, conservative management features a brief period of immobilization and protected weightbearing followed by progressive strengthening exercises and running, and athletes can expect to return to competition in 2 to 6 weeks. Further research investigating the efficacy of dry needling and blood flow restriction therapy is necessary to evaluate the benefit of these techniques in the rehabilitation process. Successful conservative management of stable syndesmotic injuries in professional American football athletes requires a thorough understanding of the anatomy, injury mechanisms, diagnosis, and rehabilitation strategies utilized in elite athletes.

Managing post-therapy fatigue for cancer survivors using energy conservation training.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuen, Hon Keung; Mitcham, Maralynne; Morgan, Larissa

2006-01-01

This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of energy conservation training to help post-therapy cancer survivors manage their fatigue. Twelve post-therapy cancer survivors were randomly assigned to an energy conservation training or usual care control (6 in each group). Participants in the intervention group received 1 to 2 hours of individual, face-to-face energy conservation training from an occupational therapist followed by once-a-week telephone monitoring sessions in the subsequent three weeks. Participants in the control group received standard care from their oncologist. Analysis of pre- and post-training data from the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) revealed significant reduction only in the sensory subscale of the PFS (Z = 2.21; p = 0.027) for the intervention group; but no significant reduction in the four subscale or total scores of the PFS for the control group. Findings demonstrate partial support for the effectiveness of energy conservation training in helping post-therapy cancer survivors manage their fatigue. Energy conservation training seems to be a viable strategy for managing cancer-related fatigue, though its efficacy is modest. Incorporating specific energy restoration strategies such as relaxation and meditation for future research may help advance the growing body of knowledge in symptom management for post-therapy cancer survivors.

Implementation of Quality Management System for Historical Building Conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahari N.F.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The main objectives of this study are twofold. Firstly, to identify the implementation of ISO 9001 procedures being used as references for conservation works and the development of Quality Management System (QMS guidelines. Data were solicited from three (3 conservation areas. The analysis involved of descriptive approach and statistical methods. The findings revealed that QMS is not structurally established, implemented and enforced as part of conservation practice in Malaysia. From the findings, the authors hope to give clear perception to the reader on current preservation practice and the existence of QMS with reference to ISO 9001 for future conservation mechanism.

South-South exchanges enhance resource management and biodiversity conservation at various scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William D Heyman

2011-01-01

Full Text Available International conservation organisations have invested considerable resources in fostering biodiversity conservation programs in the humid tropics, the most biologically diverse areas on earth. Recent approaches to conservation have centered on integrated conservation and development projects and participatory resource management programs, co-managed between governments and local communities. But these programs have had only mixed success and often suffer from insufficient quantity or quality of participation by local communities. We pose that participatory resource management is more likely to succeed when community members, 1 gain a global perspective on how their social, economic and environmental conditions compare with peer communities in other similar areas of the world, and thus better understand issues of relative scarcity and the benefits of sustainable resource management, and 2 engage as decision-makers at every stage of the conservation process up to reflective program evaluation. This paper examines the role of South-South exchanges as a tool to achieve these intermediate goals that ultimately foster more effective and participatory conservation and support sustainable local livelihoods. The data are extracted from the initiatives of the authors in two different environments- marine and coastal communities in Central America and the Caribbean, and lowland rainforest communities in the western Amazon of South America. We conclude that the exchanges are effective ways to build stakeholder comprehension about, and meaningful engagement in, resource management. South-South exchanges may also help build multi-local coalitions from various remote areas that together support biodiversity conservation at regional and global scales.

Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area Comprehensive Conservation Plan

Data.gov (United States)

Department of the Interior — The Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was signed on September 10, 2009, completing a planning process that...

CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT AND LEGISLATION THE UK EXPERIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SIBLEY P. J.

2003-04-01

Full Text Available Underpinning the conservation management of Austropotamobius pallipes in the UK is the process of monitoring and reporting crayfish distribution. Should the current trend in the decline of A. pallipes continue, the species could be virtually extinct in mainland Britain within 30 years (SIBLEY, 2003. Conversely, if the increase in the distribution of non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS continues at its current rate, the distribution (by 10 km squares of these species could double within 15 years. These forward projections are based on a number of possibly unreliable assumptions; they illustrate however the magnitude of the challenge facing those concerned with the conservation of A. pallipes in the UK at this time. Recent work in crayfish conservation management in the UK has yielded guidance in several areas including monitoring, habitat enhancement and a re-introduction protocol for A. pallipes (KEMP and HILEY, 2003. Similarly, scientific research continues to inform our understanding of the movement and behaviour of NICS and explores new methods for the potential management of these species. In addition, the protection afforded to A. pallipes by current legislation is key to the long-term survival prospects of the species, albeit with a probable fragmented distribution, across the British Isles and continental Europe. Legal provisions in the UK derive in part from European instructions (e.g. EC Habitats and Species Directive and also from national legislation (e.g. Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981. Also, a raft of “quasi-legislation” exists which requires responsible organisations in the UK to implement the white-clawed crayfish biodiversity action plan (BAP. Altogether these provisions constitute a considerable volume of legal protection for crayfish and provide the legal framework on which UK management policy and practice are based.

Fertility and obstetric outcome after conservative management of placenta accreta.

Science.gov (United States)

Provansal, Magali; Courbiere, Blandine; Agostini, Aubert; D'Ercole, Claude; Boubli, Léon; Bretelle, Florence

2010-05-01

To determine the fertility and obstetric outcomes after conservative management of placenta accreta. A retrospective observational cohort study of all identified cases of placenta accreta from 1993 to 2007 in 2 tertiary university hospitals in France. For patients treated conservatively, maternal and fetal morbidity, reproductive function, fertility, and subsequent pregnancies were recorded. During the study period, 46 patients were treated by conservative management; 6 patients underwent a secondary hysterectomy. Of the remaining 40 patients, 35 were followed up for a median of 65 months (range 18-156 months). Patients resumed their menstrual cycles after a median of 130 days (range 48-176 days). Menses were irregular in 11 patients (31%), but none had amenorrhea. Twelve of the 14 patients desiring another pregnancy achieved a total of 15 pregnancies; 2 patients had recurrent placenta accreta. Five spontaneous abortions and 1 termination of pregnancy occurred during the first trimester. The median term at delivery was 37 weeks (range, 35-40 weeks). Four patients delivered prematurely. Conservative management of placenta accreta can preserve fertility, although the risk of recurrent placenta accreta appears to be high. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conservative management of neuromuscular scoliosis: personal experience and review of literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotwicki, Tomasz; Jozwiak, Marek

2008-01-01

The principles of conservative management of neuromuscular scoliosis in childhood and adolescence are presented. Analysis of personal experience and literature review. The topic is discussed separately for patients with flaccid or spastic paresis. These demonstrate that conservative management might be proposed for patients with neuromuscular scoliosis in many clinical situations. In spastic disorders, it maintains the symmetry around the hip joints. Bracing is technically difficult and often is not tolerated well by cerebral palsy children. In patients with flaccid paresis, the fitting and the use of brace is easier than in spastic patients. The flexibility of the spinal curvature is more important. Functional benefits of conservative management of neuromuscular scoliosis comprise stable sitting, easier use of upper limbs, discharge of the abdomen from the collapsing trunk, increased diaphragm excursion, and, not always, prevention of curve progression. Specific natural history and multiple medical problems associated with the disease make the treatment of children with neuromuscular scoliosis an extremely complex issue, best addressed when a team approach is applied. Continuously improving techniques of conservative management, comprising bracing and physiotherapy, together with correctly timed surgery incorporated in the process of rehabilitation, provide the optimal care for patients.

Conservative management of small renal tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuzaki, Masato; Kawano, Yoshiyuki; Morikawa, Hirofumi; Shiga, Yoshiyuki; Murata, Hirokatsu; Komatsu, Hideki

2007-01-01

With the widespread use of imaging modalities, incidentally discovered small renal cell carcinomas have increased. Some patients, however, are too old or weak due to various diseases to undergo surgery and other patients occasionally refuse surgery. To investigate the natural history of small renal cell carcinoma, we retrospectively reviewed patients with small renal tumors suggestive of carcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients with contrast-enhancing renal masses less than 4.0 cm in diameter who were observed without treatment. The mean follow-up period was 38 months (range, 8-91). The average patient age was 67 years (range, 44-87). The initial average tumor diameter was 2.2 cm (range, 1.0-3.9). The average growth rate was 0.06 cm per year (range, -0.09-0.28). Only 4 tumors grew obviously during the follow-up period. Three tumors were removed surgically by radical nephrectomy, and all tumors were pathologically diagnosed as renal cell carcinoma. None of the patients developed metastases during the follow-up period or after surgery. Two patients died of other causes. Nonsurgical watchful waiting may be an acceptable treatment option for elderly or severely comorbid patients; however, it is not known whether this conservative management can he applied to young or otherwise healthy patients. (author)

Energy conservation using face detection

Science.gov (United States)

Deotale, Nilesh T.; Kalbande, Dhananjay R.; Mishra, Akassh A.

2011-10-01

Computerized Face Detection, is concerned with the difficult task of converting a video signal of a person to written text. It has several applications like face recognition, simultaneous multiple face processing, biometrics, security, video surveillance, human computer interface, image database management, digital cameras use face detection for autofocus, selecting regions of interest in photo slideshows that use a pan-and-scale and The Present Paper deals with energy conservation using face detection. Automating the process to a computer requires the use of various image processing techniques. There are various methods that can be used for Face Detection such as Contour tracking methods, Template matching, Controlled background, Model based, Motion based and color based. Basically, the video of the subject are converted into images are further selected manually for processing. However, several factors like poor illumination, movement of face, viewpoint-dependent Physical appearance, Acquisition geometry, Imaging conditions, Compression artifacts makes Face detection difficult. This paper reports an algorithm for conservation of energy using face detection for various devices. The present paper suggests Energy Conservation can be done by Detecting the Face and reducing the brightness of complete image and then adjusting the brightness of the particular area of an image where the face is located using histogram equalization.

Use of monitoring data to support conservation management and policy decisions in Micronesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Montambault, Jensen Reitz; Wongbusarakum, Supin; Leberer, Trina; Joseph, Eugene; Andrew, Wayne; Castro, Fran; Nevitt, Brooke; Golbuu, Yimnang; Oldiais, Noelle W; Groves, Craig R; Kostka, Willy; Houk, Peter

2015-10-01

Adaptive management implies a continuous knowledge-based decision-making process in conservation. Yet, the coupling of scientific monitoring and management frameworks remains rare in practice because formal and informal communication pathways are lacking. We examined 4 cases in Micronesia where conservation practitioners are using new knowledge in the form of monitoring data to advance marine conservation. These cases were drawn from projects in Micronesia Challenge jurisdictions that received funding for coupled monitoring-to-management frameworks and encompassed all segments of adaptive management. Monitoring in Helen Reef, Republic of Palau, was catalyzed by coral bleaching and revealed evidence of overfishing that led to increased enforcement and outreach. In Nimpal Channel, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), monitoring the recovery of marine food resources after customary restrictions were put in place led to new, more effective enforcement approaches. Monitoring in Laolao Bay, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, was catalyzed by observable sediment loads from poor land-use practices and resulted in actions that reduced land-based threats, particularly littering and illegal burning, and revealed additional threats from overfishing. Pohnpei (FSM) began monitoring after observed declines in grouper spawning aggregations. This data led to adjusting marine conservation area boundaries and implementing market-based size class restrictions. Two themes emerged from these cases. First, in each case monitoring was conducted in a manner relevant to the social and ecological systems and integrated into the decision-making process. Second, conservation practitioners and scientists in these cases integrated culturally appropriate stakeholder engagement throughout all phases of the adaptive management cycle. More broadly, our study suggests, when describing adaptive management, providing more details on how monitoring and management activities are

Physiology can contribute to better understanding, management, and conservation of coral reef fishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Illing, Björn; Rummer, Jodie L

2017-01-01

Coral reef fishes, like many other marine organisms, are affected by anthropogenic stressors such as fishing and pollution and, owing to climate change, are experiencing increasing water temperatures and ocean acidification. Against the backdrop of these various stressors, a mechanistic understanding of processes governing individual organismal performance is the first step for identifying drivers of coral reef fish population dynamics. In fact, physiological measurements can help to reveal potential cause-and-effect relationships and enable physiologists to advise conservation management by upscaling results from cellular and individual organismal levels to population levels. Here, we highlight studies that include physiological measurements of coral reef fishes and those that give advice for their conservation. A literature search using combined physiological, conservation and coral reef fish key words resulted in ~1900 studies, of which only 99 matched predefined requirements. We observed that, over the last 20 years, the combination of physiological and conservation aspects in studies on coral reef fishes has received increased attention. Most of the selected studies made their physiological observations at the whole organism level and used their findings to give conservation advice on population dynamics, habitat use or the potential effects of climate change. The precision of the recommendations differed greatly and, not surprisingly, was least concrete when studies examined the effects of projected climate change scenarios. Although more and more physiological studies on coral reef fishes include conservation aspects, there is still a lack of concrete advice for conservation managers, with only very few published examples of physiological findings leading to improved management practices. We conclude with a call to action to foster better knowledge exchange between natural scientists and conservation managers to translate physiological findings more

Setting conservation management thresholds using a novel participatory modeling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Addison, P F E; de Bie, K; Rumpff, L

2015-10-01

We devised a participatory modeling approach for setting management thresholds that show when management intervention is required to address undesirable ecosystem changes. This approach was designed to be used when management thresholds: must be set for environmental indicators in the face of multiple competing objectives; need to incorporate scientific understanding and value judgments; and will be set by participants with limited modeling experience. We applied our approach to a case study where management thresholds were set for a mat-forming brown alga, Hormosira banksii, in a protected area management context. Participants, including management staff and scientists, were involved in a workshop to test the approach, and set management thresholds to address the threat of trampling by visitors to an intertidal rocky reef. The approach involved trading off the environmental objective, to maintain the condition of intertidal reef communities, with social and economic objectives to ensure management intervention was cost-effective. Ecological scenarios, developed using scenario planning, were a key feature that provided the foundation for where to set management thresholds. The scenarios developed represented declines in percent cover of H. banksii that may occur under increased threatening processes. Participants defined 4 discrete management alternatives to address the threat of trampling and estimated the effect of these alternatives on the objectives under each ecological scenario. A weighted additive model was used to aggregate participants' consequence estimates. Model outputs (decision scores) clearly expressed uncertainty, which can be considered by decision makers and used to inform where to set management thresholds. This approach encourages a proactive form of conservation, where management thresholds and associated actions are defined a priori for ecological indicators, rather than reacting to unexpected ecosystem changes in the future. © 2015 The

Role of Conservative Management in Emphysematous Pyelonephritis - A Retrospective Study

Science.gov (United States)

Irom, Keshorjit Singh; Khumallambam, Ibomcha Singh; Sinam, Rajendra Singh

2015-01-01

Introduction Emphysematous pyelophritis (EPN) is a serious condition with significant mortality. The prognosis of patients with EPN has changed over the years. Mortality has declined with prompt and aggressive medical management and minimally invasive strategies. Aim To identify the prognostic factors and assess the outcome of conservative management of emphysematous pyelonephritis. Settings and Design This was a retrospective study of 8 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with EPN in two medical institutes between July 2010 and June 2015. Materials and Methods Eight consecutive patients diagnosed with emphysematous pyelonephritis between July 2010 and June 2015 was studied retrospectively. On the basis of Computerised tomographic scan findings they were grouped into four classes (1 to 4) according the modified classification recommended by Huang and Tseng. The management was conservative (combination of percutaneous drainage and antibiotics), immediate nephrectomy or delayed nephrectomy (when conservative management failed). Demographic, clinical, biochemical and radiological characteristics were assessed and compared between survivors and nonsurvivors. Results Seven (87.5%) of a total of 8 patients had diabetes mellitus. Escherichia coli (71.4 %) was the most common offending pathogen identified in pus culture. With conservative management in 7 patients (combination of percutaneous drainage and antibiotics), treatment was successful in 57.14 % and with immediate nephrectomy (one patient), the success rate was 100%. The risk factors for mortality were thrombocytopenia, shock and altered sensorium at presentation. The mortality rate in class 1, 2 and 3 was 0%, 33.3% and 66.7%. None of the patient had class 4 EPN. Conclusion A combination of percutaneous drainage with antibiotics offers an effective therapy for emphysematous pyelonephritis. PMID:26675196

Septic Shock after Conservative Management for Placenta Accreta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying-Cheng Chiang

2006-03-01

Conclusion: At present, there is no consensus about the optimal treatment for placenta accreta. Conservative treatment appears to be an alternative in selected patients, but the complications such as sepsis should be carefully identified and appropriately managed.

Built Heritage Documentation and Management: AN Integrated Conservation Approach in Bagan

Science.gov (United States)

Mezzino, D.; Chan, L.; Santana Quintero, M.; Esponda, M.; Lee, S.; Min, A.; Pwint, M.

2017-08-01

Good practices in heritage conservation are based on accurate information about conditions, materials, and transformation of built heritage sites. Therefore, heritage site documentation and its analysis are essential parts for their conservation. In addition, the devastating effects of recent catastrophic events in different geographical areas have highly affected cultural heritage places. Such areas include and are not limited to South Europe, South East Asia, and Central America. Within this framework, appropriate acquisition of information can effectively provide tools for the decision-making process and management. Heritage documentation is growing in innovation, providing dynamic opportunities for effectively responding to the alarming rate of destruction by natural events, conflicts, and negligence. In line with these considerations, a multidisciplinary team - including students and faculty members from Carleton University and Yangon Technological University, as well as staff from the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library (DoA) and professionals from the CyArk foundation - developed a coordinated strategy to document four temples in the site of Bagan (Myanmar). On-field work included capacity-building activities to train local emerging professionals in the heritage field (graduate and undergraduate students from the Yangon Technological University) and to increase the technical knowledge of the local DoA staff in the digital documentation field. Due to the short time of the on-field activity and the need to record several monuments, a variety of documentation techniques, including image and non-image based ones, were used. Afterwards, the information acquired during the fieldwork was processed to develop a solid base for the conservation and monitoring of the four documented temples. The relevance of developing this kind of documentation in Bagan is related to the vulnerability of the site, often affected by natural seismic events and

BUILT HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT: AN INTEGRATED CONSERVATION APPROACH IN BAGAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Mezzino

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Good practices in heritage conservation are based on accurate information about conditions, materials, and transformation of built heritage sites. Therefore, heritage site documentation and its analysis are essential parts for their conservation. In addition, the devastating effects of recent catastrophic events in different geographical areas have highly affected cultural heritage places. Such areas include and are not limited to South Europe, South East Asia, and Central America. Within this framework, appropriate acquisition of information can effectively provide tools for the decision-making process and management. Heritage documentation is growing in innovation, providing dynamic opportunities for effectively responding to the alarming rate of destruction by natural events, conflicts, and negligence. In line with these considerations, a multidisciplinary team – including students and faculty members from Carleton University and Yangon Technological University, as well as staff from the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library (DoA and professionals from the CyArk foundation – developed a coordinated strategy to document four temples in the site of Bagan (Myanmar. On-field work included capacity-building activities to train local emerging professionals in the heritage field (graduate and undergraduate students from the Yangon Technological University and to increase the technical knowledge of the local DoA staff in the digital documentation field. Due to the short time of the on-field activity and the need to record several monuments, a variety of documentation techniques, including image and non-image based ones, were used. Afterwards, the information acquired during the fieldwork was processed to develop a solid base for the conservation and monitoring of the four documented temples. The relevance of developing this kind of documentation in Bagan is related to the vulnerability of the site, often affected by natural

Clinical outcome in acute small bowel obstruction after surgical or conservative management.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Raphael P H; de Saussure, Wassila Oulhaci; Orci, Lorenzo A; Gutzwiller, Eveline M; Morel, Philippe; Ris, Frédéric; Schwenter, Frank

2014-12-01

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is characterized by a high rate of recurrence. In the present study, we aimed to compare the outcomes of patients managed either by conservative treatment or surgical operation for an episode of SBO. The outcomes of all patients hospitalized at a single center for acute SBO between 2004 and 2007 were assessed. The occurrence of recurrent hospitalization, surgery, SBO symptoms at home, and mortality was determined. Among 221 patients admitted with SBO, 136 underwent a surgical procedure (surgical group) and 85 were managed conservatively (conservative group). Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. The median follow-up time (interquartile range) was 4.7 (3.7-5.8) years. Nineteen patients (14.0 %) of the surgical group were hospitalized for recurrent SBO versus 25 (29.4 %) of the conservative group [hazard ratio (HR), 0.5; 95 % CI, 0.3-0.9]. The need for a surgical management of a new SBO episode was similar between the two groups, ten patients (7.4 %) in the surgical group and six patients (7.1 %) in the conservative group (HR, 1.1; 95 % CI, 0.4-3.1). Five-year mortality from the date of hospital discharge was not significantly different between the two groups (age- and sex-adjusted HR, 1.1; 95 % CI, 0.6-2.1). A follow-up evaluation was obtained for 130 patients. Among them, 24 patients (34.8 %) of the surgical group and 35 patients (57.4 %) of the conservative group had recurrent SBO symptoms (odds ratio, 0.4; 95 % CI, 0.2-0.8). The recurrence of SBO symptoms and new hospitalizations were significantly lower after surgical management of SBO compared with conservative treatment.

Conservative Management of Placenta Accreta/Increta after Vaginal Birth

Science.gov (United States)

Peiffer, S.; Reinhard, J.; Reitter, A.; Louwen, F.

2012-01-01

Aim: Aim of the study was to show that conservative management with preservation of the uterus and of fertility is possible in patients with placenta accreta/increta after vaginal delivery. Method: A retrospective analysis of patients with placental attachment disorders after vaginal delivery was done in a perinatal centre between November 2009 and April 2011. The patient collective was identified using the ICD-10 codes for placenta accreta/increta/percreta, and patient records were analysed for risk factors, maternal morbidity, preservation of the uterus and of fertility, and neonatal outcome. Results: Three cases of placenta increta were identified in the last 1.5 years out of a total of 1457 vaginal deliveries, and all 3 cases were treated conservatively. Mean maternal age was 35.3 years; gestational age ranged from 39 to 41 weeks, and mean duration between delivery of the child and delivery of the placenta was 44.67 days (range: 14–100 days). Two patients developed symptoms of endomyometritis, including fever, leukocytosis and increased CRP levels. All 3 women were successfully managed with preservation of the uterus. Conclusion: In selected cases with placenta accreta/increta after vaginal delivery, it is possible to avoid surgical procedures, particularly hysterectomy procedures, and successfully manage these patients conservatively with preservation of the uterus. PMID:25308979

Annual report to Congress on Federal Government Energy Management and Conservation Programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-02-01

This report on Federal Energy Management for Fiscal year (FY) 1992 provides information on energy consumption in Federal buildings and operations and documents activities conducted by Federal agencies to meet the statutory requirements of Title V, Part 3, of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 8251-8261, and Title VIII of NECPA, 42 U.S.C. 8287-8287b. This report also describes the energy conservation and management activities of the Federal Government under the authorization of section 381 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 6361. Implementation activities undertaken during FY 1992 by the Federal agencies under Executive Order 12759 on Federal Energy Management are also described in this report.

Conservative Management of Unilateral Fractures of the Mandibular Rami in Horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansson, Nicolai

2016-11-01

To report the outcome of conservative management of unilateral fractures of the mandibular rami in horses. Retrospective case series. 24 client-owned horses with unilateral mandibular fractures METHODS: Medical records (January 2000-January 2014) of horses with unilateral mandibular ramus fractures were retrieved. Only conservatively managed horses with follow-up information were included. Follow-up information on clinical outcome was retrieved from the medical records (n=11) or obtained by telephone interviews with the owners or trainers (n=13). Twenty-three horses (96%) returned to their previous or intended use and had no clinically evident masticatory or fracture healing-related problems at the time of follow-up. The owner of 1 horse (4%) reported it had tooth loosening, feed impaction, and masticatory problems. Conservative management of unilateral fractures of the mandibular rami is a treatment option in horses. © Copyright 2016 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Effectiveness of primary conservative management for infants with obstetric brachial plexus palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bialocerkowski, Andrea; Kurlowicz, Kirsty; Vladusic, Sharon; Grimmer, Karen

2005-03-01

Background  Obstetric brachial plexus palsy, a complication of childbirth, occurs in 1-3 per 1000 live births internationally. Traction and/or compression of the brachial plexus is thought to be the primary mechanism of injury and this may occur in utero, during the descent through the birth canal or during delivery. This results in a spectrum of injuries that vary in severity, extent of damage and functional use of the affected upper limb. Most infants receive treatment, such as conservative management (physiotherapy, occupational therapy) or surgery; however, there is controversy regarding the most appropriate form of management. To date, no synthesised evidence is available regarding the effectiveness of primary conservative management for obstetric brachial plexus palsy. Objectives  The objective of this review was to systematically assess the literature and present the best available evidence that investigated the effectiveness of primary conservative management for infants with obstetric brachial plexus palsy. Search strategy  A systematic literature search was performed using 14 databases: TRIP, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science, Proquest 5000, Evidence Based Medicine Reviews, Expanded Academic ASAP, Meditext, Science Direct, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Proquest Digital Dissertations, Open Archives Initiative Search Engine, Australian Digital Thesis Program. Those studies that were reported in English and published over the last decade (July 1992 to June 2003) were included in this review. Selection criteria  Quantitative studies that investigated the effectiveness of primary conservative management for infants with obstetric brachial plexus palsy were eligible for inclusion in this review. This excluded studies that solely investigated the effect of primary surgery for these infants, management of secondary deformities and the investigation of the effects of pharmacological agents, such as botulinum toxin. Data collection and analysis�

Searching for Conservation Laws in Brain Dynamics—BOLD Flux and Source Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henning U. Voss

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD imaging is the most important noninvasive tool to map human brain function. It relies on local blood-flow changes controlled by neurovascular coupling effects, usually in response to some cognitive or perceptual task. In this contribution we ask if the spatiotemporal dynamics of the BOLD signal can be modeled by a conservation law. In analogy to the description of physical laws, which often can be derived from some underlying conservation law, identification of conservation laws in the brain could lead to new models for the functional organization of the brain. Our model is independent of the nature of the conservation law, but we discuss possible hints and motivations for conservation laws. For example, globally limited blood supply and local competition between brain regions for blood might restrict the large scale BOLD signal in certain ways that could be observable. One proposed selective pressure for the evolution of such conservation laws is the closed volume of the skull limiting the expansion of brain tissue by increases in blood volume. These ideas are demonstrated on a mental motor imagery fMRI experiment, in which functional brain activation was mapped in a group of volunteers imagining themselves swimming. In order to search for local conservation laws during this complex cognitive process, we derived maps of quantities resulting from spatial interaction of the BOLD amplitudes. Specifically, we mapped fluxes and sources of the BOLD signal, terms that would appear in a description by a continuity equation. Whereas we cannot present final answers with the particular analysis of this particular experiment, some results seem to be non-trivial. For example, we found that during task the group BOLD flux covered more widespread regions than identified by conventional BOLD mapping and was always increasing during task. It is our hope that these results motivate more work towards the search for conservation

Community-managed conservation efforts at Tsingy Mahaloka ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... for habitat protection; (ii) create economic incentives and benefits for residents; and, ... KOFAMA, as the local organization to be responsible for management of the ... rising 80–100 metres above a flat coastal plain), a diverse endemic avifauna, ... et enfin une structure destinée à faciliter les efforts de conservation qui sont ...

Building on Two Decades of Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity Conservation under the Northwest Forest Plan, USA

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Dominick A. DellaSala

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP shifted federal lands management from a focus on timber production to ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. The plan established a network of conservation reserves and an ecosystem management strategy on ~10 million hectares from northern California to Washington State, USA, within the range of the federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina. Several subsequent assessments—and 20 years of data from monitoring programs established under the plan—have demonstrated the effectiveness of this reserve network and ecosystem management approach in making progress toward attaining many of the plan’s conservation and ecosystem management goals. This paper (1 showcases the fundamental conservation biology and ecosystem management principles underpinning the NWFP as a case study for managers interested in large-landscape conservation; and (2 recommends improvements to the plan’s strategy in response to unprecedented climate change and land-use threats. Twenty years into plan implementation, however, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, under pressure for increased timber harvest, are retreating from conservation measures. We believe that federal agencies should instead build on the NWFP to ensure continuing success in the Pacific Northwest. We urge federal land managers to (1 protect all remaining late-successional/old-growth forests; (2 identify climate refugia for at-risk species; (3 maintain or increase stream buffers and landscape connectivity; (4 decommission and repair failing roads to improve water quality; (5 reduce fire risk in fire-prone tree plantations; and (6 prevent logging after fires in areas of high conservation value. In many respects, the NWFP is instructive for managers considering similar large-scale conservation efforts.

Biochemical genetics in marine fisheries management and conservation

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Menezes, M.R.

- 403004 NBDBlDBTSponsored Training on Taxonomy, GOIdia turd Gme Bturking o/Coastal and Marine Bloresources, CIFE, Mumbal BIOCHEMICAL GENETICS IN MARINE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION Maria R. Menezes Introduction . Species of fish, like most... population structure may have evolved and been maintained in species of fish ofeconomic interest has led to the concept of 'stock'. The stock concept dominates much of marine fisheries management, theory and practice because the identification of discrete...

Conservative Management of Placenta Accreta in a Multiparous Woman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer C. Hunt

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Placenta accreta refers to any abnormally invasive placental implantation. Diagnosis is suspected postpartum with failed delivery of a retained placenta. Massive obstetrical hemorrhage is a known complication, often requiring peripartum hysterectomy. We report a case of presumed placenta accreta in a patient following failed manual removal of a retained placenta. We describe an attempt at conservative management with methotrexate in a stable patient desiring future fertility. Treatment was unsuccessful and led to the development of a disseminated intrauterine infection complicated by a bowel obstruction, requiring both a hysterectomy and small bowel resection. In hemodynamically stable patients, conservative management of placenta accreta may involve leaving placental tissue in situ with subsequent administration of methotrexate. However, ongoing close observation is required to identify complications.

Managing scuba divers to meet ecological goals for coral reef conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sorice, Michael G; Oh, Chi-Ok; Ditton, Robert B

2007-06-01

Marine protected areas increasingly are challenged to maintain or increase tourism benefits while adequately protecting resources. Although carrying capacity strategies can be used to cope with use-related impacts, there is little understanding of divers themselves, their management preferences, and how preferences relate to conservation goals. By using a stated preference choice modeling approach, we investigated the choices divers make in selecting diving trips to marine protected areas as defined by use level, access, level of supervision, fees, conservation education, and diving expectations. Logit models showed that divers preferred a more restrictive management scenario over the status quo. Divers favored reductions in the level of site use and increased levels of conservation education. Divers did not favor fees to access protected areas, having less access to the resource, or extensive supervision. Finally, divers were much more willing to accept increasingly restrictive management scenarios when they could expect to see increased marine life.

Status of thermal imaging technology as applied to conservation-update 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snow, F.J.; Wood, J.T.; Barthle, R.C.

1980-07-01

This document updates the 1978 report on the status of thermal imaging technology as applied to energy conservation in buildings. Thermal imaging technology is discussed in terms of airborne surveys, ground survey programs, and application needs such as standards development and lower cost equipment. Information on the various thermal imaging devices was obtained from manufacturer's standard product literature. Listings are provided of infrared projects of the DOE building diagnostics program, of aerial thermographic firms, and of aerial survey programs. (LCL)

Bringing genetic diversity to the forefront of conservation policy and management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoban, S.M.; Hauffe, H.C.; Pérez-Espona, S.

2013-01-01

In this essay we explore questions on how to increase the visibility and utility of genetic information for biodiversity managers and policy makers. This is discussed in the light of Aichi CBD Target 13, which for the first time impels signatories to minimise genetic erosion and safeguard genetic...... genetics. We then discuss the implications of these findings for academics involved in conservation genetics and suggest that a much closer partnership between academic conservation geneticists and conservation practitioners is necessary if the full potential of genetic tools in conservation...

Conservative management of vestibular schwannoma--a prospective cohort study: treatment, symptoms, and quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Breivik, Cathrine Nansdal; Varughese, Jobin K; Wentzel-Larsen, Tore; Vassbotn, Flemming; Lund-Johansen, Morten

2012-05-01

One hundred ninety-three patients with sporadic unilateral vestibular schwannoma given conservative management were enrolled in a prospective study. To evaluate the efficacy of conservative management and to determine the effect of an initial conservative management on the quality of life (QOL) and severity of audio vestibular symptoms. The patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans, clinical examination, and QOL assessment by 2 validated questionnaires, the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI). Using regression analysis of clustered data, we analyzed possible associations between tumor growth and symptoms and tested whether our earlier finding that vertigo is associated with reduced QOL could be verified. The median follow-up time was 43 months (range, 9-115 months; SD, 21.48 months). Results are based on 703 clinical controls and 642 (SF-36) and 638 (GBI) questionnaires. Seven patients were lost to follow-up. Approximately 40% of patients were in need of treatment during follow-up. We found a statistically significant association between tinnitus and vertigo and tumor growth. Vertigo was found to significantly reduce QOL. There was a significant drop in the Social Function subscales of both SF-36 and GBI, possibly attributable to progressive hearing loss. Otherwise, there was no overall trend toward any change in QOL during the observation period. In addition, QOL seemed to be little affected by treatment. There was a small but statistically significant improvement in vestibular complaints and no change in the occurrence of tinnitus. Except for hearing loss caused by surgery, treatment did not affect symptoms or QOL significantly. Growth was associated with the occurrence of tinnitus and balance problems.

The Colorado Plateau V: research, environmental planning, and management for collaborative conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Villarreal, Miguel L.; van Riper, Carena J.; Johnson, Matthew J.; van Riper, Charles

2012-01-01

Roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States, the Colorado Plateau covers some 130,000 square miles of sparsely vegetated plateaus, mesas, canyons, arches, and cliffs in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. With elevations ranging from 3,000 to 14,000 feet, the natural systems found within the plateau are dramatically varied, from desert to alpine conditions. This volume, the fifth from the University of Arizona Press and the tenth overall, focuses on adaptation of resource management and conservation to climate change and water scarcity, protecting biodiversity through restructured energy policies, ensuring wildlife habitat connectivity across barriers, building effective conservation networks, and exploring new opportunities for education and leadership in conservation science. An informative read for people interested in the conservation and natural history of the region, the book will also serve as a valuable reference for those people engaged in the management of cultural and biological resources of the Colorado Plateau, as well as scientists interested in methods and tools for land and resource management throughout the West.

Micro-Credit and Community Wildlife Management: Complementary Strategies to Improve Conservation Outcomes in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Science.gov (United States)

Kaaya, Emmanuel; Chapman, Margaret

2017-09-01

Community wildlife management programs in African protected areas aim to deliver livelihood and social benefits to local communities in order to bolster support for their conservation objectives. Most of these benefits are delivered at the community level. However, many local people are also seeking more individual or household-level livelihood benefits from community wildlife management programs because it is at this level that many of the costs of protected area conservation are borne. Because community wildlife management delivers few benefits at this level, support for their conservation objectives amongst local people often declines. The study investigated the implications of this for reducing poaching in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Three community wildlife management initiatives undertaken by Park management were compared with regard to their capacity to deliver the individual and household-level benefits sought by local people: community conservation services, wildlife management areas and community conservation banks. Interviews were carried out with poachers and local people from four villages in the Western Serengeti including members of village conservation banks, as well as a number of key informants. The results suggest that community conservation banks could, as a complementary strategy to existing community wildlife management programs, potentially provide a more effective means of reducing poaching in African protected areas than community wildlife management programs alone.

Research priorities for conservation and natural resource management in Oceania's small-island developing states.

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Weeks, R; Adams, V M

2018-02-01

For conservation science to effectively inform management, research must focus on creating the scientific knowledge required to solve conservation problems. We identified research questions that, if answered, would increase the effectiveness of conservation and natural resource management practice and policy in Oceania's small-island developing states. We asked conservation professionals from academia, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations across the region to propose such questions and then identify which were of high priority in an online survey. We compared the high-priority questions with research questions identified globally and for other regions. Of 270 questions proposed by respondents, 38 were considered high priority, including: What are the highest priority areas for conservation in the face of increasing resource demand and climate change? How should marine protected areas be networked to account for connectivity and climate change? What are the most effective fisheries management policies that contribute to sustainable coral reef fisheries? High-priority questions related to the particular challenges of undertaking conservation on small-island developing states and the need for a research agenda that is responsive to the sociocultural context of Oceania. Research priorities for Oceania relative to elsewhere were broadly similar but differed in specific issues relevant to particular conservation contexts. These differences emphasize the importance of involving local practitioners in the identification of research priorities. Priorities were reasonably well aligned among sectoral groups. Only a few questions were widely considered answered, which may indicate a smaller-than-expected knowledge-action gap. We believe these questions can be used to strengthen research collaborations between scientists and practitioners working to further conservation and natural resource management in this region. © 2017 The Authors. Conservation Biology

Management of a Two-rooted Maxillary Central Incisor Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography: Importance of Three-dimensional Imaging

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Saurabh Kumar Gupta

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We report a rare case of a two-rooted maxillary central incisor, stressing the importance of three-dimensional imaging in treatment planning and conservative approach of management. Endodontic treatment of this central incisor was carried out with a successful outcome.

Chondrichthyan Diversity, Conservation Status, and Management Challenges in Costa Rica

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Mario Espinoza

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Understanding key aspects of the biology and ecology of chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and chimeras, as well as the range of threats affecting their populations is crucial given the rapid rate at which some species are declining. In the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP, the lack of knowledge, unreliable (or non-existent landing statistics, and limited enforcement of existing fisheries regulations has hindered management and conservation efforts for chondrichthyan species. This review evaluated our current understanding of Costa Rican chondrichthyans and their conservation status. Specifically, we (1 provide an updated checklist on the species richness, habitat use, and distribution patterns, (2 summarize the most relevant chondrichthyan studies (scientific publications, theses, and official technical reports, (3 identify knowledge gaps, (4 discuss fisheries-related threats, and (5 highlight the management challenges and research needs to effectively protect their populations. A total of 99 chondrichthyan species are formally recorded in Costa Rican waters, from which 15% are threatened with extinction and 41% are “Data Deficient” based on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. A total of 121 studies were published between 1891 and 2017; 82% in the Pacific (24% from Isla del Coco and only 18% from the Caribbean Sea. These results highlight the need to redirect research efforts on specific taxonomic groups and geographic regions (i.e., Caribbean. Based on our review, improving the quality and quantity of fisheries landing statistics, as well as determining the degree of overlap between chondrichthyans and Costa Rican fisheries remains a priority. We proposed an adaptive management framework for chondrichthyan fisheries in data-poor countries where management goals/targets are clearly defined. This framework could strengthen the conservation of chondrichthyan populations in Costa Rica and the region.

A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions.

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Pavlacky, David C; Lukacs, Paul M; Blakesley, Jennifer A; Skorkowsky, Robert C; Klute, David S; Hahn, Beth A; Dreitz, Victoria J; George, T Luke; Hanni, David J

2017-01-01

Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer's sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical

A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David C Pavlacky

Full Text Available Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1 coordination across organizations and regions, 2 meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3 rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17. We provide two examples for the Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1 determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2 estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer's sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous

Basic Energy Conservation and Management--Part 2: HVAC

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Krueger, Glenn

2012-01-01

Reducing school district energy expenditures has become a universal goal, and new technologies have brought greater energy efficiencies to the school environment. In Part 1 of this two-part series, the author discussed the steps required to establish an energy conservation and management program with an emphasis on lighting. In this article, he…

Concentrating or scattering management in agricultural landscapes : Examining the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation measures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hammers, Martijn; Muskens, Gerard; Van Kats, Ruud J. M.; Teunissen, Wolf A.; Kleijn, David

A key issue in conservation is where and how much management should be implemented to obtain optimal biodiversity benefits. Cost-effective conservation requires knowledge on whether biodiversity benefits are higher when management is concentrated in a few core areas or scattered across the

Conservative fluid management prevents age-associated ventilator induced mortality.

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Herbert, Joseph A; Valentine, Michael S; Saravanan, Nivi; Schneck, Matthew B; Pidaparti, Ramana; Fowler, Alpha A; Reynolds, Angela M; Heise, Rebecca L

2016-08-01

Approximately 800 thousand patients require mechanical ventilation in the United States annually with an in-hospital mortality rate of over 30%. The majority of patients requiring mechanical ventilation are over the age of 65 and advanced age is known to increase the severity of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) and in-hospital mortality rates. However, the mechanisms which predispose aging ventilator patients to increased mortality rates are not fully understood. Ventilation with conservative fluid management decreases mortality rates in acute respiratory distress patients, but to date there has been no investigation of the effect of conservative fluid management on VILI and ventilator associated mortality rates. We hypothesized that age-associated increases in susceptibility and incidence of pulmonary edema strongly promote age-related increases in ventilator associated mortality. 2month old and 20month old male C57BL6 mice were mechanically ventilated with either high tidal volume (HVT) or low tidal volume (LVT) for up to 4h with either liberal or conservative fluid support. During ventilation, lung compliance, total lung capacity, and hysteresis curves were quantified. Following ventilation, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was analyzed for total protein content and inflammatory cell infiltration. Wet to dry ratios were used to directly measure edema in excised lungs. Lung histology was performed to quantify alveolar barrier damage/destruction. Age matched non-ventilated mice were used as controls. At 4h, both advanced age and HVT ventilation significantly increased markers of inflammation and injury, degraded pulmonary mechanics, and decreased survival rates. Conservative fluid support significantly diminished pulmonary edema and improved pulmonary mechanics by 1h in advanced age HVT subjects. In 4h ventilations, conservative fluid support significantly diminished pulmonary edema, improved lung mechanics, and resulted in significantly lower mortality rates in

Ecological Conservation, Ecotourism, and Sustainable Management: The Case of Penang National Park

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Sara Kaffashi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Penang National Park (PNP, as Malaysia’s smallest national park, is one of the few naturally forested areas left on Penang Island, in Peninsular Malaysia. The main objective was to analyse users’ preferences and willingness to pay to enhance improved management of PNP for the dual aim of conservation and recreation. Structural equation modelling (SEM was used to analyse the formation of attitudes towards different aspects of PNP. Results showed that implementing enforcements with rules and regulations and imposing permits and charges on certain activities were the most influential variables of PNPs’ perceptions. The results of a random parameter logit model (RPL demonstrated that visitors placed the highest value on having adequate information about PNP, and the second-highest value on improvements in the park’s ecological management. The welfare measure for improvement in management of PNP against status quo is estimated at about MYR 9. Results also showed that demand for better conservation and management of PNP is relatively price-inelastic. Simulations of the results showed, under a MYR10 admission fee, that improvement in management would have 96% of market share compared with status quo. This study concluded that visitor entrance fees can and ought to be introduced as a means of financing conservation initiatives and possibly preventing congestion.

Identifying conservation priorities and management strategies based on ecosystem services to improve urban sustainability in Harbin, China

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Yi Qu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Rapid urbanization and agricultural development has resulted in the degradation of ecosystems, while also negatively impacting ecosystem services (ES and urban sustainability. Identifying conservation priorities for ES and applying reasonable management strategies have been found to be effective methods for mitigating this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to propose a comprehensive framework for identifying ES conservation priorities and associated management strategies for these planning areas. First, we incorporated 10 ES indicators within a systematic conservation planning (SCP methodology in order to identify ES conservation priorities with high irreplaceability values based on conservation target goals associated with the potential distribution of ES indicators. Next, we assessed the efficiency of the ES conservation priorities for meeting the designated conservation target goals. Finally, ES conservation priorities were clustered into groups using a K-means clustering analysis in an effort to identify the dominant ES per location before formulating management strategies. We effectively identified 12 ES priorities to best represent conservation target goals for the ES indicators. These 12 priorities had a total areal coverage of 13,364 km2 representing 25.16% of the study area. The 12 priorities were further clustered into five significantly different groups (p-values between groups < 0.05, which helped to refine management strategies formulated to best enhance ES across the study area. The proposed method allows conservation and management plans to easily adapt to a wide variety of quantitative ES target goals within urban and agricultural areas, thereby preventing urban and agriculture sprawl and guiding sustainable urban development.

Conservative approach to the acute management of a large mesenteric cyst.

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Leung, Billy C; Sankey, Ruth; Fronza, Matteo; Maatouk, Mohamed

2017-09-16

Mesenteric cysts are rare, benign gastrointestinal cystic lesions, which are often non-troublesome and present as an incidental radiological finding. However, surgery is often performed in the acute setting to remove lesions that are symptomatic. This report highlights the case of a large, symptomatic mesenteric cyst managed successfully with initial conservative measures followed by planned elective surgery. A 44-year-old female presented with a four-day history of generalised abdominal pain associated with distension, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. Computer tomography revealed a large (21.7 cm × 11.8 cm × 14 cm) mesenteric cyst within the left abdomen cavity. She was admitted and treated conservatively with intravenous fluids and antibiotics for four days, which lead to complete symptom resolution. Follow-up at intervals of one and three months revealed no return of symptoms. An elective laparotomy and excision of the mesenteric cyst was then scheduled and performed safely at nine months after the initial presentation. Compared to acute surgery, acute conservative management followed by planned elective resection of a symptomatic mesenteric cyst may prove safer. The withholding of an immediate operation may potentially avoid unnecessary operative risk and should be considered in patients without obstructive and peritonitic symptoms. Our case demonstrated the safe use of initial conservative management followed by planned elective surgery of a mesenteric cyst found in the acute setting, which was symptomatic but was not obstructive or causing peritonitic symptoms.

Conservative management of fracture scaphoid

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Mittal V

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Background : Conservative management of fracture scaphoid with cast is still the most common modality of management, but the results following this protocol are not always satisfactory. Methods : Twenty five patients with fracture scaphoid were treated with a below elbow scaphoid cast and were followed up for minimum duration of one year. On follow up patients were examined clinicoradiologically and functional results were evaluated using the modification of the Mayo wrist scoring chart. Results : Nineteen fractures showed union, two were malunited and five went for nonunion. Two fractures developed avascular necrosis and three patients had wrist arthritis on follow up. Nineteen patients had excellent functional results, one had good results and six patients had poor results. Patients with delayed diagnosis had nonunion and poor functional results. Patients with premature removal of cast had comparatively inferior results Conclusion : For displaced unstable fracture, open reduction and internal fixation should be the preferred modality of treatment as cast treatment gives unacceptably high rate of malunion and nonunion with poor functional results.

Conservation markets for wildlife management with case studies from whaling.

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Gerber, Leah R; Costello, Christopher; Gaines, Steven D

2014-01-01

Although market-based incentives have helped resolve many environmental challenges, conservation markets still play a relatively minor role in wildlife management. Establishing property rights for environmental goods and allowing trade between resource extractors and resource conservationists may offer a path forward in conserving charismatic species like whales, wolves, turtles, and sharks. In this paper, we provide a conceptual model for implementing a conservation market for wildlife and evaluate how such a market could be applied to three case studies for whales (minke [Balaenoptera acutorostrata], bowhead [Balaena mysticetus], and gray [Eschrictius robustus]). We show that, if designed and operated properly, such a market could ensure persistence of imperiled populations, while simultaneously improving the welfare of resource harvesters.

Where and how to manage: Optimal selection of conservation actions for multiple species.

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Astrid van Teeffelen

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Multiple alternative options are frequently available for the protection, maintenance or restoration of conservation areas. The choice of a particular management action can have large effects on the species occurring in the area, because different actions have different effects on different species. Together with the fact that conservation funds are limited and particular management actions are costly, it would be desirable to be able to identify where, and what kind of management should be applied to maximize conservation benefits. Currently available site-selection algorithms can identify the optimal set of sites for a reserve network. However, these algorithms have not been designed to answer what kind of action would be most beneficial at these sites when multiple alternative actions are available. We describe an algorithm capable of solving multi-species planning problems with multiple management options per site. The algorithm is based on benefit functions, which translate the effect of a management action on species representation levels into a value, in order to identify the most beneficial option. We test the performance of this algorithm with simulated data for different types of benefit functions and show that the algorithm’s solutions are optimal, or very near globally optimal, partially depending on the type of benefit function used. The good performance of the proposed algorithm suggests that it could be profitably used for large multi-action multi-species conservation planning problems.

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma: Report of a case managed conservatively

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Halim Tariq

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a rare cause of acute spinal cord compression. A 25-year-old male presented with a history of sudden onset of complete quadriplegia with sensory loss below the neck along with loss of bowel and bladder control. He had no history of any constitutional symptoms. He reported 10 days later. He was managed conservatively and after two weeks of intensive rehabilitation he had complete neural recovery. The spontaneous recovery of neurological impairment is attributed to the spreading of the hematoma throughout the epidural space, thus decreasing the pressure with partial neural recovery. Conservative treatment is a fair option in young patients who present late and show neurological improvement. The neurological status on presentation will guide the further approach to management.

41 CFR 102-74.155 - What energy conservation policy must Federal agencies follow in the management of facilities?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... policy must Federal agencies follow in the management of facilities? 102-74.155 Section 102-74.155 Public... MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 74-FACILITY MANAGEMENT Facility Management Energy Conservation § 102-74.155 What energy conservation policy must Federal agencies follow in the management of facilities...

Assessing the components of adaptive capacity to improve conservation and management efforts under global change.

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Nicotra, Adrienne B; Beever, Erik A; Robertson, Amanda L; Hofmann, Gretchen E; O'Leary, John

2015-10-01

Natural-resource managers and other conservation practitioners are under unprecedented pressure to categorize and quantify the vulnerability of natural systems based on assessment of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Despite the urgent need for these assessments, neither the theoretical basis of adaptive capacity nor the practical issues underlying its quantification has been articulated in a manner that is directly applicable to natural-resource management. Both are critical for researchers, managers, and other conservation practitioners to develop reliable strategies for assessing adaptive capacity. Drawing from principles of classical and contemporary research and examples from terrestrial, marine, plant, and animal systems, we examined broadly the theory behind the concept of adaptive capacity. We then considered how interdisciplinary, trait- and triage-based approaches encompassing the oft-overlooked interactions among components of adaptive capacity can be used to identify species and populations likely to have higher (or lower) adaptive capacity. We identified the challenges and value of such endeavors and argue for a concerted interdisciplinary research approach that combines ecology, ecological genetics, and eco-physiology to reflect the interacting components of adaptive capacity. We aimed to provide a basis for constructive discussion between natural-resource managers and researchers, discussions urgently needed to identify research directions that will deliver answers to real-world questions facing resource managers, other conservation practitioners, and policy makers. Directing research to both seek general patterns and identify ways to facilitate adaptive capacity of key species and populations within species, will enable conservation ecologists and resource managers to maximize returns on research and management investment and arrive at novel and dynamic management and policy decisions. © 2015 Society for

Protected River. A new concept for conservation management of fluvial systems in Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade; German I

2011-01-01

Based upon the concept of Ecological Integrity, relevant geophysical, bio- ecological and social attributes for river systems area identified. It is argued that current conservation and environmental management instruments in Colombia, do not take into account the identified IE attributes simultaneously. The concept of Protected River, PR, is then presented, as a necessary complement for conservation strategies. The PR concept would be defined for the maintenance of the attributes of EI in some representative river systems, as a part of the biodiversity conservation objectives within the Convention of Biological Diversity. Some attributes and indicators, and thresholds of undesired change are discussed. A typology for PR is proposed, following the international protected area management categories.

Contemporary evaluation and management of renal trauma.

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Chouhan, Jyoti D; Winer, Andrew G; Johnson, Christina; Weiss, Jeffrey P; Hyacinthe, Llewellyn M

2016-04-01

Renal trauma occurs in approximately 1%-5% of all trauma cases. Improvements in imaging and management over the last two decades have caused a shift in the treatment of this clinical condition. A systematic search of PubMed was performed to identify relevant and contemporary articles that referred to the management and evaluation of renal trauma. Computed tomography remains a mainstay of radiological evaluation in hemodynamically stable patients. There is a growing body of literature showing that conservative, non-operative management of renal trauma is safe, even for Grade IV-V renal injuries. If surgical exploration is planned due to other injuries, a conservative approach to the kidney can often be utilized. Follow up imaging may be warranted in certain circumstances. Urinoma, delayed bleeding, and hypertension are complications that require follow up. Appropriate imaging and conservative approaches are a mainstay of current renal trauma management.

Process of spontaneous resolution in the conservative management of congenital dacryocystocele

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Mimura M

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Masashi Mimura,1,2 Mari Ueki,1 Hidehiro Oku,1 Bunpei Sato,2 Tsunehiko Ikeda11Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, 2Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka Kaisei Hospital, Osaka, JapanPurpose: To assess efficacy of the conservative management of patients with congenital dacryocystocele.Materials and methods: This was a retrospective case series involving six sides of five infants with a dacryocystocele treated at Osaka Kaisei Hospital, Osaka, Japan. The conservative management protocol consisted of the application of warm compresses and massage over the mass, with the addition of antibiotics when dacryocystitis developed. Patient age at the time of resolution, presence of retrograde outflow of contents of dacryocystoceles from the puncta, and development of dacryocystitis were recorded.Results: The dacryocystocele was unilateral in four patients and bilateral in one patient. A nasal cyst was present in four patients without respiratory distress. The median patient age at the time of the diagnosis was 7 days (range 2–10 days. Conservative management was selected in all patients, and the dacryocystocele was resolved in all patients at a median patient age of 14.5 days (range 11–105 days. Two sides developed dacryocystitis, which resolved in a few days with antibiotic treatment. In those two sides, rupture of the dacryocystoceles to the common canaliculus with retrograde discharge of the contents from the puncta before the dacryocystitis developed was noted. For the other four treated sides, no such discharge or development of dacryocystitis was observed.Conclusion: The findings of this study show that a dacryocystocele has a good chance of resolving spontaneously with conservative management and careful observation, and that rupture of the dacryocystocele to the common canaliculus might be an important precursor of dacryocystitis.Keywords: dacryocystitis, congenital lacrimal obstruction, remnant, precursor, retrograde

Management Approaches to Accomplish Contemporary Livestock Production-Conservation Objectives in Shortgrass Steppe

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Traditional rangeland management in the shortgrass steppe has emphasized livestock production with moderate stocking rates, but alternative approaches will be needed to meet production objectives under increasing demands for conservation-oriented management. We investigated the utility of very inten...

2D imaging and 3D sensing data acquisition and mutual registration for painting conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Fontana, Raffaella; Gambino, Maria Chiara; Greco, Marinella; Marras, Luciano; Pampaloni, Enrico M.; Pelagotti, Anna; Pezzati, Luca; Poggi, Pasquale

2005-01-01

We describe the application of 2D and 3D data acquisition and mutual registration to the conservation of paintings. RGB color image acquisition, IR and UV fluorescence imaging, together with the more recent hyperspectral imaging (32 bands) are among the most useful techniques in this field. They generally are meant to provide information on the painting materials, on the employed techniques and on the object state of conservation. However, only when the various images are perfectly registered on each other and on the 3D model, no ambiguity is possible and safe conclusions may be drawn. We present the integration of 2D and 3D measurements carried out on two different paintings: "Madonna of the Yarnwinder" by Leonardo da Vinci, and "Portrait of Lionello d'Este", by Pisanello, both painted in the XV century.

Athletic Population with Spondylolysis: Review of Outcomes following Surgical Repair or Conservative Management

Science.gov (United States)

Panteliadis, Pavlos; Nagra, Navraj S.; Edwards, Kimberley L.; Behrbalk, Eyal; Boszczyk, Bronek

2016-01-01

Study Design  Narrative review. Objective  The study aims to critically review the outcomes associated with the surgical repair or conservative management of spondylolysis in athletes. Methods  The English literature listed in MEDLINE/PubMed was reviewed to identify related articles using the term “spondylolysis AND athlete.” The criteria for studies to be included were management of spondylolysis in athletes, English text, and no year, follow-up, or study design restrictions. The references of the retrieved articles were also evaluated. The primary outcome was time to return to sport. This search yielded 180 citations, and 25 publications were included in the review. Results  Treatment methods were dichotomized as operative and nonoperative. In the nonoperative group, 390 athletes were included. A combination of bracing with physical therapy and restriction of activities was used. Conservative measures allowed athletes to return to sport in 3.7 months (weighted mean). One hundred seventy-four patients were treated surgically. The most common technique was Buck's, using a compression screw (91/174). All authors reported satisfactory outcomes. Time to return to play was 7.9 months (weighted mean). There were insufficient studies with suitably homogenous subgroups to conduct a meta-analysis. Conclusion  There is no gold standard approach for the management of spondylolysis in the athletic population. The existing literature suggests initial therapy should be a course of conservative management with thoracolumbosacral orthosis brace, physiotherapy, and activity modification. If conservative management fails, surgical intervention should be considered. Two-sided clinical studies are needed to determine an optimal pathway for the management of athletes with spondylolysis. PMID:27556003

Compression Dressing Using Dental Impression Compound for Conservative Management of Sialocele.

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Kudva, Adarsh; Carriappa, K M; Kamath, Abhay; Chithra, A

2016-12-01

A Sialocele or salivary pseudocyst is due to extravasation of saliva into periglandular tissue due to disruption of gland parenchyma. Various techniques of management have been described in literature; both conservative and surgical management have been documented. We report a simple economical and efficient method to deal with sailocele presenting after neck dissection.

Understanding the threats posed by non-native species: public vs. conservation managers.

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Rodolphe E Gozlan

Full Text Available Public perception is a key factor influencing current conservation policy. Therefore, it is important to determine the influence of the public, end-users and scientists on the prioritisation of conservation issues and the direct implications for policy makers. Here, we assessed public attitudes and the perception of conservation managers to five non-native species in the UK, with these supplemented by those of an ecosystem user, freshwater anglers. We found that threat perception was not influenced by the volume of scientific research or by the actual threats posed by the specific non-native species. Media interest also reflected public perception and vice versa. Anglers were most concerned with perceived threats to their recreational activities but their concerns did not correspond to the greatest demonstrated ecological threat. The perception of conservation managers was an amalgamation of public and angler opinions but was mismatched to quantified ecological risks of the species. As this suggests that invasive species management in the UK is vulnerable to a knowledge gap, researchers must consider the intrinsic characteristics of their study species to determine whether raising public perception will be effective. The case study of the topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva reveals that media pressure and political debate has greater capacity to ignite policy changes and impact studies on non-native species than scientific evidence alone.

Conservative management and health-related quality of life in end-stage renal disease: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Hung-Bin; Chao, Chia-Ter; Chang, Ray-E; Hung, Kuan-Yu; COGENT Study Group

2017-06-26

Few studies have addressed health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients who chose conservative management over dialysis. This systematic review aims to better define the role of conservative management in improving health-related QoL in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Medline, Cochrane and EMBASE were searched for prospective or retrospective studies published until June 30, 2016, that examined QoL of ESRD patients. The primary outcome was health-related QoL. Four studies were included (405 patients received dialysis and 332 received conservative management). Two studies that used the Short Form-36 Survey (SF-36) showed that the dialysis group had higher physical component scores, but the conservative management group had similar, or better, mental component scores at the end of intervention. Another study using the SF-36 showed that the physical and mental component scores of the dialysis group did not significantly change after intervention. In the conservative management group, the physical component scores did not change, but the mental component scores increased significantly over time (0.12 ± 0.32, p management group. Although there are only a limited number of published articles, ESRD patients who receive conservative management may have improved mental health-related QoL when compared with those who receive dialysis.

Heritage conservation for city marketing: The imaging of the historic city of Georgetown, Penang

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Sumarni Ismail ,

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The process of imaging for city marketing purposes has the implication on culture, conservation and heritage. City marketing, especially in the European context, has been examined in interdisciplinary literature with special focus on imaging for tourism. Little is reported about the imaging of those cities' ex-colonies in the East. The Historic City of Georgetown in Penang, dubbed 'the City of Living Culture', has been gearing her development towards living up to the image. This paper examines the imaging of the Historic City of Georgetown for heritage tourism and city marketing tool by the public agencies involved. A short introduction to city marketing, imaging and heritage tourism is offered due to sparse literature in the built environment literature and to serve as a foundation to the main discourse of this paper. The bulk of this paper discusses the conservation of heritage as image dimensions in the marketing of Georgetown. We submitted that Georgetown has successfully utilised and capitalised on its cultural diversity and tangible heritage based on its colonial legacy to promote the city as evidenced by its recent inscription into UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. Nonetheless, building and maintaining the synergy between the government, the private sector and the people is essential for the city's heritage tourism industry.

The use of GIS and modelling approaches in squirrel population management and conservation: A review

Science.gov (United States)

P. W. W. Lurz; J. L. Koprowski; D. J. A. Wood

2008-01-01

We review modelling approaches in relation to three key areas of sciurid ecology: management, disease risk assessments and conservation. Models enable us to explore different scenarios to develop effective management and conservation strategies. They may also assist in identifying and targeting research needs for tree and flying squirrels. However, there is a need to...

Acute pancreatitis: The role of imaging in diagnosis and management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bharwani, Nishat, E-mail: nishat.bharwani@nhs.ne [Imaging Department, Barts and The London NHS Trust, St Bartholomew' s Hospital, Ground Floor, King George V Wing, London EC1A 7BE (United Kingdom); Patel, Shilpa; Prabhudesai, Shirish; Fotheringham, Tim; Power, Niall [Imaging Department, Barts and The London NHS Trust, St Bartholomew' s Hospital, Ground Floor, King George V Wing, London EC1A 7BE (United Kingdom)

2011-02-15

Acute pancreatitis is one of the more commonly encountered aetiologies in the emergency setting and its incidence is rising. Presentations range from a mild-self limiting condition which usually responds to conservative management to one with significant morbidity and mortality in its most severe forms. While clinical criteria are necessary to make the initial diagnosis, contrast-enhanced CT is the mainstay of imaging and has a vital role in assessing the extent and evolution of the disease and its associated complications. The purpose of this article is to summarise the natural course of acute severe pancreatitis, clarify confusing nomenclature, demonstrate the morphological stages in conjunction with radiological scoring systems and illustrate the complications. We will review and illustrate the increasing and significant role interventional radiology has in the management of these patients, which are often life-saving and surgery-sparing.

Systematic Planning and Ecosystem-Based Management as Strategies to Reconcile Mangrove Conservation with Resource Use

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Rebecca Borges

2017-11-01

Full Text Available About 120 million people worldwide live within 10 km of large mangrove forests, and many of them directly depend on the goods and services provided by these ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how to synchronize ecological definitions and legal conservation strategies regarding mangroves, especially in developing countries, such as Brazil. The influence of human populations' socio-economic context in mangrove conservation policies, as well associated challenges in incorporating this influence, are underestimated or, often, largely ignored. Considering the recent threats emerging from changes in legislation and the lack of spatial and social-ecological integrated data to plan mangrove conservation in Brazil, this paper aims to answer the following questions: (1 What suitable measures could managers and other decision makers adopt for efficient mangrove conservation planning?; (2 What are the site-specific, social-ecological aspects that need to be taken into account when deciding on conservation and management strategies?; and (3 How could science contribute to the development of these measures? In order to achieve an ecosystem-based management approach, mangrove ecosystems should not be divided into sub-systems, but instead treated as an integrated system. Furthermore, interconnections with other coastal ecosystems must be assessed and taken into account. This is crucial for effective systematic conservation planning. Also, most of the particular social-ecological aspects in the different types of mangrove ecosystems along the Brazilian coast, and how those differences might be considered while planning for conservation, remain poorly understood. Based on similar drivers of change, geological features, and likely impacts of climate change, a macro-unit approach is proposed to group mangrove systems along the Brazilian coast and guide national policies. This paper draws parallels with management approaches worldwide to find common points and

Conservative management in ureteric hydronephrosis due to deep endometriosis: Could the levonorgestrel-intrauterine device be an option?

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Simón, Elisa; Tejerizo, Álvaro; Muñoz, José Luis; Álvarez, Carmen; Marqueta, Laura; Jiménez, Jesús S

2017-07-01

Endometriosis can affect up to 10% of women of reproductive age, in a wide range of clinical presentations that vary from mild to severe or deep endometriosis. Deep endometriosis can affect the urinary tract in 1-5% to 15-25% cases. Even though deep endometriosis' surgeries are usually complex with higher rate of complications, conservative management is not always considered as an option because of its high failure rates. This paper describes two cases of deep endometriosis with ureteric involvement (hydronephrosis) treated conservatively with a double-pigtail stent plus a Levonorgestrel intrauterine device, after conservative surgery, who remained symptom free with no evidence of recurrence at 3 years follow-up, avoiding radical high-risk surgery. Impact statement Several treatments have been described for endometriosis. From a symptomatic perspective, conservative medical management has been proposed with a variable response. Concerning deep endometriosis (affecting the urinary or digestive tract), the definitive treatment has always been thought to be radical surgery. However, this can lead to several complications. To illustrate a possible more conservative approach this paper describes two cases of deep infiltrating endometriosis affecting the ureter, treated conservatively with a temporary pigtail ureter stent plus a Levonorgestrel intrauterine device. The management demonstrates that, in a selected population, conservative treatment solves the urinary disease avoiding the surgical complications and, what is more, improving patients' symptoms in a permanent way. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm whether the introduction of this management in clinical practice would reduce the need for surgery thereby, avoiding high-risk surgery and improving the success rate of conservative management.

OSPACS: Ultrasound image management system

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Bessant Conrad

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ultrasound scanning uses the medical imaging format, DICOM, for electronically storing the images and data associated with a particular scan. Large health care facilities typically use a picture archiving and communication system (PACS for storing and retrieving such images. However, these systems are usually not suitable for managing large collections of anonymized ultrasound images gathered during a clinical screening trial. Results We have developed a system enabling the accurate archiving and management of ultrasound images gathered during a clinical screening trial. It is based upon a Windows application utilizing an open-source DICOM image viewer and a relational database. The system automates the bulk import of DICOM files from removable media by cross-validating the patient information against an external database, anonymizing the data as well as the image, and then storing the contents of the file as a field in a database record. These image records may then be retrieved from the database and presented in a tree-view control so that the user can select particular images for display in a DICOM viewer or export them to external media. Conclusion This system provides error-free automation of ultrasound image archiving and management, suitable for use in a clinical trial. An open-source project has been established to promote continued development of the system.

Curent requirements for image management in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steil, V.; Schneider, F.; Wenz, F.; Lohr, F.; Roehner, F.; Weisser, G.

2012-01-01

Treatment techniques of increasing complexity such as dynamic/rotational techniques mandate digital management and increasingly image guidance. This constantly increases requirements for image management and archiving. This article discusses the current status of these requirements and will present potential image administration strategies. Fundamentals of image administration and storage/archiving are presented (DICOM Standard, radiotherapy-specific issues) along the typical patient pathway (demographic data, radiotherapy treatment planning, signatures/approval of plan and image data, archiving of plan and image data). Different strategies for image management are presented (archiving centered on individual application vs. integral approach with central archiving in a DICOM-RT-PACS governed by a radiation oncology information system (ROCIS)). Infrastructural requirements depending on the amount of image data generated in the department are discussed. Application-centered image management provides access to image data including all relevant RT-specific elements. This approach, however, is not migration-safe, requires significant administrative work to ensure a redundancy level that protects against data loss and does not provide datasets that are linked to respective therapeutic interventions. Therefore, centralized image management and archiving that links images to patients and individual steps in the treatment pathway within a standardized DICOM(-RT) environment is preferable despite occasional problems with visualization of specific data elements. (orig.)

Using landscape limnology to classify freshwater ecosystems for multi-ecosystem management and conservation

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Soranno, Patricia A.; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Webster, Katherine E.; Bremigan, Mary T.; Wagner, Tyler; Stow, Craig A.

2010-01-01

Governmental entities are responsible for managing and conserving large numbers of lake, river, and wetland ecosystems that can be addressed only rarely on a case-by-case basis. We present a system for predictive classification modeling, grounded in the theoretical foundation of landscape limnology, that creates a tractable number of ecosystem classes to which management actions may be tailored. We demonstrate our system by applying two types of predictive classification modeling approaches to develop nutrient criteria for eutrophication management in 1998 north temperate lakes. Our predictive classification system promotes the effective management of multiple ecosystems across broad geographic scales by explicitly connecting management and conservation goals to the classification modeling approach, considering multiple spatial scales as drivers of ecosystem dynamics, and acknowledging the hierarchical structure of freshwater ecosystems. Such a system is critical for adaptive management of complex mosaics of freshwater ecosystems and for balancing competing needs for ecosystem services in a changing world.

The functional outcome of blow-out fractures managed surgically and conservatively

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Felding, Ulrik Ascanius; Rasmussen, Janne; Toft, Peter Bjerre

2016-01-01

of diplopia and enophthalmus was determined by reviewing the medical records. Data from the patients' initial consultation and their 3-month follow-up were also collected. Of the 60 patients whose data could be analysed, 36 had been managed surgically and 24 conservatively. Of the patients managed surgically......, 25 had diplopia in peripheral gaze before surgery and 12 at 3-month follow-up. Nine had diplopia in primary gaze before surgery and none at 3-month follow-up. Five had enophthalmus before surgery and two at 3-month follow-up. Of the patients managed conservatively, eight had diplopia in peripheral...... gaze initially and seven at 3-month follow-up. Three had diplopia in primary gaze initially and one at 3-month follow-up. One had enophthalmus initially which was still present at 3-month follow-up. Primary gaze diplopia disappeared while secondary gaze diplopia was present in about a third of patients...

Load building versus conservation as demand-side management objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kexel, D.T.

1994-01-01

This paper examines the economics of load building versus conservation as demand-side management objectives. Economic criteria to be used in evaluating each type of program from the perspectives of all impacted parties are provided. The impact of DSM programs on electric rates is shown to be a key focal point of a thorough evaluation

Administrative Co-management: The Case of Special-Use Forest Conservation in Vietnam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, T.K.D.; Bush, S.R.; Mol, A.P.J.

2013-01-01

Special-use forests (SUFs) are nature protected areas in Vietnam used to conserve nature and its biodiversity. While the Vietnamese government has managed to increase the size and number of SUFs, biodiversity within these areas continues to decline. To improve protection of these SUFs, co-management

Identifying conservation priorities and management strategies based on ecosystem services to improve urban sustainability in Harbin, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Yi; Lu, Ming

2018-01-01

Rapid urbanization and agricultural development has resulted in the degradation of ecosystems, while also negatively impacting ecosystem services (ES) and urban sustainability. Identifying conservation priorities for ES and applying reasonable management strategies have been found to be effective methods for mitigating this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to propose a comprehensive framework for identifying ES conservation priorities and associated management strategies for these planning areas. First, we incorporated 10 ES indicators within a systematic conservation planning (SCP) methodology in order to identify ES conservation priorities with high irreplaceability values based on conservation target goals associated with the potential distribution of ES indicators. Next, we assessed the efficiency of the ES conservation priorities for meeting the designated conservation target goals. Finally, ES conservation priorities were clustered into groups using a K-means clustering analysis in an effort to identify the dominant ES per location before formulating management strategies. We effectively identified 12 ES priorities to best represent conservation target goals for the ES indicators. These 12 priorities had a total areal coverage of 13,364 km 2 representing 25.16% of the study area. The 12 priorities were further clustered into five significantly different groups ( p -values between groups urban and agricultural areas, thereby preventing urban and agriculture sprawl and guiding sustainable urban development.

Using in situ management to conserve biodiversity under climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, Owen; Mossman, Hannah L; Suggitt, Andrew J; Curtis, Robin J; Maclean, Ilya M D

2016-06-01

Successful conservation will increasingly depend on our ability to help species cope with climate change. While there has been much attention on accommodating or assisting range shifts, less has been given to the alternative strategy of helping species survive climate change through in situ management.Here we provide a synthesis of published evidence examining whether habitat management can be used to offset the adverse impacts on biodiversity of changes in temperature, water availability and sea-level rise. Our focus is on practical methods whereby the local environmental conditions experienced by organisms can be made more suitable.Many studies suggest that manipulating vegetation structure can alter the temperature and moisture conditions experienced by organisms, and several demonstrate that these altered conditions benefit species as regional climatic conditions become unsuitable. The effects of topography on local climatic conditions are even better understood, but the alteration of topography as a climate adaptation tool is not ingrained in conservation practice. Trials of topographic alteration in the field should therefore be a priority for future research.Coastal systems have the natural capacity to keep pace with climate change, but require sufficient sediment supplies and space for landward migration to do so. There is an extensive literature on managed realignment. While the underlying rationale is simple, successful implementation requires careful consideration of elevation and past land use. Even with careful management, restored habitats may not attain the physical and biological attributes of natural habitats. Synthesis and applications . The recent literature provides a compelling case that some of the adverse effects of climate change can be offset by appropriate management. However, much of the evidence for this is indirect and too few studies provide empirical tests of the long-term effectiveness of these management interventions. It is clear

Incentives for biodiversity conservation beyond the best management practices: are forestland owners interested

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Jagannadha R. Matta; Janaki R. R. Alavalapati; D. Evan Mercer

2009-01-01

With the growing recognition of the role of environmental services rendered by private lands, landowner involvement has become a critical component of landscape-level strategies to conserve biodiversity. In this paper, we examine the willingness of private forest owners to participate in a conservation program that requires adopting management regimes beyond...

Dealing with Drought: Decoupling Climatic and Management-Related Drivers of Water Conservation Behavior

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Hemati, A.; Rippy, M.; Grant, S. B.

2015-12-01

As global populations grow, cities in drought prone regions of the world such as California and South East Australia are faced with escalating water scarcity and water security challenges. The management approaches geared towards addressing these challenges are diverse. Given the myriad of possible approaches and the tendency to apply them in combination, successful management actions can be difficult to identify. Background climactic variability further complicates the story, making transfer of management lessons from one drought stressed region to another difficult. Here we use Melbourne, a city of 4.3 million people in South East Australia that recently faced and overcame a > 10 year "Millennium" drought, as a test case for evaluating the relative importance of various management-related and climactic factors in driving reductions in municipal water consumption (~60% in 12 years). Our analysis suggests that Melbourne's declining municipal consumption cannot be explained by potable substitution alone, as reductions in municipal consumption were not matched by increased use of alternative sources (e.g., urban rain or recycled water). Thus, water conservation behavior (not source switching) may be responsible for the majority of demand reduction in Melbourne. Interestingly, while voluntary or mandatory water restrictions appear to have substantially altered the rate of change of consumption near the end of Melbourne's Millennium drought (e.g., forcing a period of intense conservation), overall conservation behavior precedes these restrictions. This suggests that other rapidly implemented (and hither too unquantified) management approaches such as advertising or newspapers may have driven water conservation behavior early in the drought. Climatic factors, particularly precipitation may also have influenced conservation behavior; changes in precipitation were significantly positively correlated with changes in water consumption at a lag of 18 months. Similar

Evaluation of conservation-oriented management on grayish brown soil

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Consuelo E. Hernández Rodríguez

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Conservation and improvement actions were taken to ensure the soil preservation in agricultural areas affected by erosion on a grayish brown soil of Sarduy farm in Cumanayagua, Cuba. The technology that was used included strip-till, crop rotation, live and/or dead barriers, channel terraces, contour farming and the addition of organic matter and biofertilizers. The implementation of the soil conservation-oriented management had an influence on the yield increase of 10.6% - 20.2%, on the decrease of the erosive processes with a retention of soils to 13.33 t.ha -1, on maintaining the soil pH and on the increment of the assimilable P2O5 contents and soil organic matter.

Studying citizen science through adaptive management and learning feedbacks as mechanisms for improving conservation.

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Jordan, Rebecca; Gray, Steven; Sorensen, Amanda; Newman, Greg; Mellor, David; Newman, Greg; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy; LaDeau, Shannon; Biehler, Dawn; Crall, Alycia

2016-06-01

Citizen science has generated a growing interest among scientists and community groups, and citizen science programs have been created specifically for conservation. We examined collaborative science, a highly interactive form of citizen science, which we developed within a theoretically informed framework. In this essay, we focused on 2 aspects of our framework: social learning and adaptive management. Social learning, in contrast to individual-based learning, stresses collaborative and generative insight making and is well-suited for adaptive management. Adaptive-management integrates feedback loops that are informed by what is learned and is guided by iterative decision making. Participants engaged in citizen science are able to add to what they are learning through primary data collection, which can result in the real-time information that is often necessary for conservation. Our work is particularly timely because research publications consistently report a lack of established frameworks and evaluation plans to address the extent of conservation outcomes in citizen science. To illustrate how our framework supports conservation through citizen science, we examined how 2 programs enacted our collaborative science framework. Further, we inspected preliminary conservation outcomes of our case-study programs. These programs, despite their recent implementation, are demonstrating promise with regard to positive conservation outcomes. To date, they are independently earning funds to support research, earning buy-in from local partners to engage in experimentation, and, in the absence of leading scientists, are collecting data to test ideas. We argue that this success is due to citizen scientists being organized around local issues and engaging in iterative, collaborative, and adaptive learning. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Outcomes of a conservative approach to management in amoebic liver abscess

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S Kale

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Unfortunately, there is confusion among the medical community regarding the management of amoebic liver abscess (ALA. Therapeutic options range from simple pharmacotherapy to use of interventions like a needle or catheter aspiration under ultrasound guidance to surgical intervention. There is a plethora of thresholds for parameters such as the maximum diameter of the abscess and volume on ultrasound examination suggested by various authors to serve as a criterion to help to decide when to use which modality in these cases. Aims: To assess the outcome of patients with uncomplicated ALA treated using a conservative approach. Moreover, to identify factors associated with its failure. Settings and Design: A prospective, observational study was carried out at a large municipal urban health care center over a period of 3-year (2011-2014 in India. Materials and Methods: Patients with uncomplicated ALA were recruited. All patients were managed with pharmacotherapy initially for a period of 72 h. Response to treatment was assessed by resolution of symptoms within the given time frame. Failure to respond was considered an indication for intervention. Needle aspiration was offered to these patients and response assessed within 72 h. Failure to respond to aspiration was considered an indication for catheter drainage. Statistical Analysis Used: Data recorded were entered in a Microsoft Office Excel Sheet and analyzed using the SPSS version 16.0 (IBM. Results: Sixty patients with ALA were included in the study over its duration. Forty-nine (81.67% patients were managed conservatively, while 11 (18.33% patients needed an intervention for relief. Patients who required intervention had deranged liver function at presentation, a larger abscess diameter (10.09 ± 2.23 vs. 6.33 ± 1.69 cm P 7.7 cm was found to be the optimal criterion to predict the need of intervention in cases of ALA. Conclusions: A conservative approach is effective in the management of

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT VS. EXTERNAL FIXATION OF COMMINUTED DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURES

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Sanjeev Kumar Kare

2016-12-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Fracture of the distal radius (‘broken wrist’ is a common clinical problem. It can be treated conservatively usually involving wrist immobilisation in a plaster cast or surgically. A key method of surgical fixation is external fixation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective study was carried out on 66 patients admitted between June 2014 to May 2016 for evaluation of conservative and surgical management of distal radius fractures. RESULTS Excellent, fair or good result was noticed in around 85% of cases managed conservatively and in above 90% of cases managed by external fixator. CONCLUSION There is some evidence to support the use of external fixation for dorsally displaced fractures of the distal radius in adults. Though, there is insufficient evidence to confirm a better functional outcome, external fixation reduces redisplacement gives improved anatomical results and most of the excess surgically-related complications are minor.

The contribution of agent-based simulations to conservation management on a Natura 2000 site.

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Dupont, Hélène; Gourmelon, Françoise; Rouan, Mathias; Le Viol, Isabelle; Kerbiriou, Christian

2016-03-01

The conservation of biodiversity today must include the participation and support of local stakeholders. Natura 2000 can be considered as a conservation system that, in its application in most EU countries, relies on the participation of local stakeholders. Our study proposes a scientific method for participatory modelling, with the aim of contributing to the conservation management of habitats and species at a Natura 2000 site (Crozon Peninsula, Bretagne, France) that is representative of in landuse changes in coastal areas. We make use of companion modelling and its associated tools (scenario-planning, GIS, multi-agent modelling and simulations) to consider possible futures through the co-construction of management scenarios and the understanding of their consequences on different indicators of biodiversity status (habitats, avifauna, flora). The maintenance of human activities as they have been carried out since the creation of the Natura 2000s zone allows the biodiversity values to remain stable. Extensive agricultural activities have been shown to be essential to this maintenance, whereas management sustained by the multiplication of conservation actions brings about variable results according to the indicators. None of the scenarios has a positive incidence on the set of indicators. However, an understanding of the modelling system and the results of the simulations allow for the refining of the selection of conservation actions in relation to the species to be preserved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integration of environmental flow assessment and freshwater conservation planning: a new era in catchment management

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Nel, JL

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Integrated water resources management offers an ideal platform for addressing the goals of freshwater conservation and climate change adaptation. Environmental flow assessment and systematic conservation planning have evolved separately...

The comparative analyses of selected aspects of conservation and management of Vietnam’s national parks

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Le Thanh An

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The national parks in Vietnam are protected areas in the national system of special-use forests created to protect natural resources and biodiversity. In order to improve the effectiveness of management of national parks, the study assesses some current aspects of conservation and management of natural resources with respect to management plans, financial sources, staff, cooperative activities, causes of limited management capacity and threats to natural resources. Out of the total of 30 national parks, six are under the responsibility of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST and 24 national parks are managed by provincial authorities. It was found that most of the national parks have updated their management plans. Financial sources of funding for national parks mainly originated from the central and provincial budgets, with an average of 51% and 76% respectively. Fifty percent of national parks spent 40–60% of their total funding on conservation activities. About 85% of national parks’ staff had academic degrees, typically in the fields of forestry, agriculture and fisheries. Biodiversity conservation was considered a priority cooperative action in national parks with scientific institutes. Major causes of a limited management capacity of national parks included human population growth and pressure associated with resources use, lack of funding, limited human and institutional capacity and land use conflict/land grab. Illegal hunting, trapping, poaching and fishing, the illegal wildlife trade, illegal logging and firewood collecting appeared to be the most serious threats to the conservation and management of natural resources. In addition to these results, significant differences were found between the VNFOREST and provincial parks in terms of financial sources, staff and the threat of illegal logging and firewood collecting. The authors’ findings offer useful information for national park planners and managers, as well as

Developing a conservation strategy to maximize persistence of an endangered freshwater mussel species while considering management effectiveness and cost

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, David R.; McRae, Sarah E.; Augspurger, Tom; Ratcliffe, Judith A.; Nichols, Robert B.; Eads, Chris B.; Savidge, Tim; Bogan, Arthur E.

2015-01-01

We used a structured decision-making process to develop conservation strategies to increase persistence of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) in North Carolina, USA, while accounting for uncertainty in management effectiveness and considering costs. Alternative conservation strategies were portfolios of management actions that differed by location of management actions on the landscape. Objectives of the conservation strategy were to maximize species persistence, maintain genetic diversity, maximize public support, and minimize management costs. We compared 4 conservation strategies: 1) the ‘status quo’ strategy represented current management, 2) the ‘protect the best’ strategy focused on protecting the best populations in the Tar River basin, 3) the ‘expand the distribution’ strategy focused on management of extant populations and establishment of new populations in the Neuse River basin, and 4) the ‘hybrid’ strategy combined elements of each strategy to balance conservation in the Tar and Neuse River basins. A population model informed requirements for population management, and experts projected performance of alternative strategies over a 20-y period. The optimal strategy depended on the relative value placed on competing objectives, which can vary among stakeholders. The protect the best and hybrid strategies were optimal across a wide range of relative values with 2 exceptions: 1) if minimizing management cost was of overriding concern, then status quo was optimal, or 2) if maximizing population persistence in the Neuse River basin was emphasized, then expand the distribution strategy was optimal. The optimal strategy was robust to uncertainty in management effectiveness. Overall, the structured decision process can help identify the most promising strategies for endangered species conservation that maximize conservation benefit given the constraint of limited funding.

Assessing the components of adaptive capacity to improve conservation and management efforts under global change

Science.gov (United States)

Nicotra, Adrienne; Beever, Erik; Robertson, Amanda; Hofmann, Gretchen; O’Leary, John

2015-01-01

Natural-resource managers and other conservation practitioners are under unprecedented pressure to categorize and quantify the vulnerability of natural systems based on assessment of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Despite the urgent need for these assessments, neither the theoretical basis of adaptive capacity nor the practical issues underlying its quantification has been articulated in a manner that is directly applicable to natural-resource management. Both are critical for researchers, managers, and other conservation practitioners to develop reliable strategies for assessing adaptive capacity. Drawing from principles of classical and contemporary research and examples from terrestrial, marine, plant, and animal systems, we examined broadly the theory behind the concept of adaptive capacity. We then considered how interdisciplinary, trait- and triage-based approaches encompassing the oft-overlooked interactions among components of adaptive capacity can be used to identify species and populations likely to have higher (or lower) adaptive capacity. We identified the challenges and value of such endeavors and argue for a concerted interdisciplinary research approach that combines ecology, ecological genetics, and eco-physiology to reflect the interacting components of adaptive capacity. We aimed to provide a basis for constructive discussion between natural-resource managers and researchers, discussions urgently needed to identify research directions that will deliver answers to real-world questions facing resource managers, other conservation practitioners, and policy makers. Directing research to both seek general patterns and identify ways to facilitate adaptive capacity of key species and populations within species, will enable conservation ecologists and resource managers to maximize returns on research and management investment and arrive at novel and dynamic management and policy decisions.

Subclavian artery dissection during diagnostic cardiac catheterization: the role of conservative management.

Science.gov (United States)

Frohwein, S; Ververis, J J; Marshall, J J

1995-04-01

Dissection of the subclavian artery during routine cardiac catheterization while obtaining cannulation to the left internal mammary artery is an unusual complication and to our knowledge has never been reported. Conservative management of this vascular injury can avoid the sequelae of high-risk surgical repairs made difficult by a complex operative exposure. We describe a case in which dissection of the left subclavian artery was treated conservatively with an excellent outcome.

Government conservation policies on Mexican coastal areas: is "top-down" management working?

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Héctor Nava

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Marine and terrestrial ecosystems are declining globally due to environmental degradation and poorly planned resource use. Traditionally, local government agencies have been responsible of the management of natural reserves to preserve biodiversity. Nonetheless, much of these approaches have failed, suggesting the development of more integrative strategies. In order to discuss the importance of a holistic approach in conservation initiatives, coastal and underwater landscape value and biological/environmental indicators of coral reef degradation were assessed using the study case of Zihuatanejo, Guerrero coastal area. This area shelters representative coral reef structures of the Eastern Pacific coast and its terrestrial biodiversity and archaeology enhance the high value of its coastal area. This study explored the landscape value of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems using the geomorphosite approach in two sites on the Zihuatanejo coastal area: Caleta de Chon and Manzanillo Beach. Sedimentation rate, water transparency, chlorophyll and total suspended solids were recorded underwater in each site for environmental characterization. 50 photo-quadrants on five transects were surveyed between 3-4m depth to record coverage (% of living corals, dead corals, algae, sand and rocks. The conservation status of coral reefs was assessed by the coral mortality index (MI. Landscape values showed that both terrestrial and marine ecosystems had important scientific and aesthetic values, being Manzanillo Beach the site with the highest potential for conservation initiatives (TtV=14.2. However, coral reefs face elevated sedimentation rates (up to 1.16kg/m2d and low water transparency (less of 5m generated by coastal land use changes that have increased soil erosion in the adjacent coastal area. High coverage of dead corals (23.6% and algae (up to 29% confirm the low values in conservation status of coral reefs (MI=0.5, reflecting a poorly-planned management

Pacific Canada's Rockfish Conservation Areas: using Ostrom's design principles to assess management effectiveness

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Darienne Lancaster

2015-09-01

Full Text Available International declines in marine biodiversity have lead to the creation of marine protected areas and fishery reserve systems. In Canada, 164 Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs were implemented between 2003 and 2007 and now cover 4847.2 km² of ocean. These reserves were created in response to widespread concern from fishers and nongovernmental organizations about inshore rockfish (genus Sebastes population declines. We used the design principles for effective common-pool resource management systems, originally developed by Elinor Ostrom, to assess the social and ecological effectiveness of these conservation areas more than 10 years after their initial implementation. We assessed the relative presence or absence of each design principle within current RCA management. We found that 2 of the 11 design principles were moderately present in the recreational fishery. All other design principles were lacking for the recreational sector. We found that 2 design principles were fully present and 5 were moderately present in the commercial sector. Four design principles were lacking in the commercial sector. Based on this analysis, we highlight 4 main areas for management improvement: (1 create an education and outreach campaign to explain RCA rules, regulations, boundaries, and the need for marine conservation; (2 increase monitoring of users and resources to discourage noncompliance and gather the necessary data to create social buy-in for marine conservation; (3 encourage informal nested governance through stakeholder organizations for education and self-regulation (e.g. fisher to fisher; and (4 most importantly, create a formal, decadal RCA review process to gather stakeholder input and make amendments to regulations and RCA boundaries. This information can be used to inform spatial management systems both in Canada and internationally. This analysis also contributes to a growing literature on effectively scaling up small-scale management techniques

WLCI researchers employ new approaches to help managers conserve deer migrations

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Allen, Leslie A.; Kauffman, Matthew J.

2012-01-01

Elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, moose, and bighorn sheep are iconic animals of the American West. These hooved animals, known as ungulates, commonly travel 30–60 miles between seasonal ranges. These migrations between winter and summer ranges are vital for survival and reproduction. As habitat fragmentation continues, the conservation of ungulate migration routes has received considerable attention in the West and across the globe. For example, it is estimated that many ungulate migration routes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have already been lost. The traditional migration routes of Wyoming ungulates are threatened by unprecedented levels of energy development and by increasing levels of rural ranchette development (including fences, structures, and roads). In the past, migration corridors have been mapped based primarily on the expert opinions of state game managers, but long-term conservation of Wyoming's ungulate migration routes requires a better understanding of migration ecology and more sophisticated management tools. Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) researchers investigated the migration of a large mule deer herd across the Dad and Wild Horse winter ranges in southwest Wyoming, where 2,000 gas wells and 1,609 kilometers of pipelines and roads have been proposed for development.

Building Virtual Watersheds: A Global Opportunity to Strengthen Resource Management and Conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Benda, Lee; Miller, Daniel; Barquin, Jose; McCleary, Richard; Cai, TiJiu; Ji, Y.

2016-03-01

Modern land-use planning and conservation strategies at landscape to country scales worldwide require complete and accurate digital representations of river networks, encompassing all channels including the smallest headwaters. The digital river networks, integrated with widely available digital elevation models, also need to have analytical capabilities to support resource management and conservation, including attributing river segments with key stream and watershed data, characterizing topography to identify landforms, discretizing land uses at scales necessary to identify human-environment interactions, and connecting channels downstream and upstream, and to terrestrial environments. We investigate the completeness and analytical capabilities of national to regional scale digital river networks that are available in five countries: Canada, China, Russia, Spain, and United States using actual resource management and conservation projects involving 12 university, agency, and NGO organizations. In addition, we review one pan-European and one global digital river network. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the majority of the regional, national, and global scale digital river networks in our sample lack in network completeness, analytical capabilities or both. To address this limitation, we outline a general framework to build as complete as possible digital river networks and to integrate them with available digital elevation models to create robust analytical capabilities (e.g., virtual watersheds). We believe this presents a global opportunity for in-country agencies, or international players, to support creation of virtual watersheds to increase environmental problem solving, broaden access to the watershed sciences, and strengthen resource management and conservation in countries worldwide.

Multidisciplinary conservative management in classical Volkmann's contracture: A case report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reinders, M.F.; Geertzen, J.H.B.; Eisma, W.H.

1996-01-01

This clinical note describes the case of a nine-year-old girl with classical Volkmann's contracture of the left forearm. The report demonstrates the results and follow-up of conservative orthotic management used as a mode of treatment by a multidisciplinary team. When using an orthosis it is

Lack of effectiveness of primary conservative management for infants with brachial plexus birth palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bialocerkowski, Andrea Emmi; Vladusic, Sharon; Moore, Rosemary Patricia

Brachial plexus birth palsy (BPBP) is the most common peripheral nerve injury in children (prevalence microsurgical repair of the brachial plexus, surgical management of secondary deformities or received other treatments traditionally delivered by surgeons, such as Botulinum toxin injections. The eligibility of each study identified from the database searches was evaluated against the inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. These studies were then critically appraised for level of evidence using the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Hierarchy of Evidence and methodological quality using the Critical Review Form - Quantitative Studies. Data pertaining to the demographic characteristics of study participants, treatments received, main results and outcome measures used were also extracted. Where any disagreement between reviewers occurred, consensus was reached by discussion. Data from the recently published studies were narratively synthesised and then combined with the data gained from our previous systematic review to create a body of evidence on primary conservative management for BPBP infants. Four publications, representing three studies (one comparative study, two case series), were sourced. Methodological quality scores of these studies ranged from 6 to 12 (maximum =16). The current body of evidence (publications from 1992 to 2008) therefore comprises 11 studies, four using a comparative design and seven using a case series design. Six of the 11 studies were classified as being of "poor" methodological quality (score <8). Conservative management mainly consisted of exercise therapy, although splinting, massage and dynamic traction were also used. All studies lacked a clear definition of conservative management sufficient to allow replication of the treatment in a clinical setting. A variety of outcome measures were used, limiting comparability of the studies. Data from the three case studies suggests that conservative

Conservatively managed pineal apoplexy in an anticoagulated patient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werder, Gabriel M.; Razdan, Rahul S.; Gagliardi, Joseph A.; Chaddha, Shashi K.B.

2008-01-01

We present a case of pineal apoplexy in an anticoagulated and hypertensive 56-year-old Hispanic male. At presentation, the patient's international normalized ratio (INR) was 10.51 and his blood pressure was 200/130 mmHg. His presenting symptoms included acute onset of headache, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, and visual disturbance. Neuroimaging demonstrated hemorrhage into a morphologically normal pineal gland. Under conservative management, the patient experienced gradual resolution of all symptoms excluding the disturbance of upward gaze

77 FR 16942 - Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-23

... Multispecies Fishery Management Plan which was approved on March 8, 2012. This action amends the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to explicitly define and facilitate the effective operation of state.... 110901552-20494-02] RIN 0648-BB34 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions...

76 FR 56985 - Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-15

... to estimate total haddock catch by the herring midwater trawl fleet in these herring management areas.... 110627355-1539-02] RIN 0648-BB08 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions... the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which increases the haddock incidental catch cap...

Biodiversity conservation and indigenous land management in the era of self-determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Paige M; Peterson, Markus J

2009-12-01

Indigenous people inhabit approximately 85% of areas designated for biodiversity conservation worldwide. They also continue to struggle for recognition and preservation of cultural identities, lifestyles, and livelihoods--a struggle contingent on control and protection of traditional lands and associated natural resources (hereafter, self-determination). Indigenous lands and the biodiversity they support are increasingly threatened because of human population growth and per capita consumption. Application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to tribal lands in the United States provides a rich example of the articulation between biodiversity conservation and indigenous peoples' struggle for self-determination. We found a paradoxical relationship whereby tribal governments are simultaneously and contradictory sovereign nations; yet their communities depend on the U.S. government for protection through the federal-trust doctrine. The unique legal status of tribal lands, their importance for conserving federally protected species, and federal environmental regulations' failure to define applicability to tribal lands creates conflict between tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and constitutional authority. We reviewed Secretarial Order 3206, the U.S. policy on "American Indian tribal rights, federal-tribal trust responsibilities, and the ESA," and evaluated how it influences ESA implementation on tribal lands. We found improved biodiversity conservation and tribal self-determination requires revision of the fiduciary relationship between the federal government and the tribes to establish clear, legal definitions regarding land rights, applicability of environmental laws, and financial responsibilities. Such actions will allow provision of adequate funding and training to tribal leaders and resource managers, government agency personnel responsible for biodiversity conservation and land management, and environmental policy makers. Increased capacity, cooperation, and

A framework for marketing image management.

Science.gov (United States)

Barich, H; Kotler, P

1991-01-01

Managers know that the customer's impression of an organization is important. And sometimes companies attempt to determine just what that impression is. They conduct ad hoc surveys and focus groups. But too often the data is insubstantial, or difficult to analyze, or even inaccurate. Barich and Kotler introduce the concept of "marketing image" and describe a system of image management: designing a study, collecting data, analyzing image problems, modifying the image, and tracking responses to that image. They argue that only a systematic approach will yield useful and accurate information that a company can translate into action.

75 FR 27182 - Energy Conservation Program: Web-Based Compliance and Certification Management System

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-14

... Conservation Program: Web-Based Compliance and Certification Management System AGENCY: Office of Energy... following means: 1. Compliance and Certification Management System (CCMS)--via the Web portal: http... certification reports to the Department of Energy (DOE) through an electronic Web-based tool, the Compliance and...

Management of liver trauma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanan M Alghamdi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the last 30 years, the management of liver injury has evolved significantly. The advancement of imaging studies has played an important role in the conservative approach for management. A shift from operative to nonoperative management for most hemodynamically stable patients with hepatic injury has been prompted by speed and sensitivity of diagnostic imaging and by advances in critical care monitoring. In this review article, the up-to-date recommendation on the management approach of liver trauma will be discussed.

Maternal outcome after conservative management of abnormally invasive placenta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsiu-Wei Su

2017-06-01

Conclusion: In this small series, we observed a low successful uterine preservation rate and a high maternal complication rate. We recommend that primary cesarean hysterectomy should be used as the treatment of choice for mild to severe abnormally invasive placenta. Conservative management should be reserved for women with a strong fertility desire and women with extensive disease that precludes primary hysterectomy due to surgical difficulty.

The plight of Indian sea horses: Need for conservation and management

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sreepada, R.A.; Desai, U.M.; Naik, S.

along the Indian coast in the last decade has been alarming. Conservation and management are currently limited by the absence of data on the abundance and distribution of seahorses species in the region. This paper highlights the plight of Indian...

Bringing genetic diversity to the forefront of conservation policy and management

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hoban, S. M.; Hauffe, H. C.; Pérez-Espona, S.; Arntzen, J. W.; Bertorelle, G.; Bryja, Josef; Frith, K.; Gaggiotti, O. E.; Galbusera, P.; Godoy, J. A.; Hoelzel, A. R.; Nichols, R. A.; Primmer, C. R.; Russo, I.-R.; Segelbacher, G.; Siegismund, H. R.; Sihvonen, M.; Vernesi, C.; Vila, C.; Bruford, M. W.

2013-01-01

Roč. 5, č. 2 (2013), s. 593-598 ISSN 1877-7252 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Conservation genetics * Aichi target 13 * ConGRESS * Biodiversity management * Biodiversity policy Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.136, year: 2013

Conservatively managed pineal apoplexy in an anticoagulated patient

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werder, Gabriel M. [William Beaumont Hospital, Department of Radiology, 3600 West Thirteen Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48073 (United States); St Christopher Iba Mar Diop College of Medicine, Luton (United Kingdom)], E-mail: gabriel_werder@yahoo.com; Razdan, Rahul S.; Gagliardi, Joseph A.; Chaddha, Shashi K.B. [St Vincent' s Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT (United States)

2008-02-15

We present a case of pineal apoplexy in an anticoagulated and hypertensive 56-year-old Hispanic male. At presentation, the patient's international normalized ratio (INR) was 10.51 and his blood pressure was 200/130 mmHg. His presenting symptoms included acute onset of headache, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, and visual disturbance. Neuroimaging demonstrated hemorrhage into a morphologically normal pineal gland. Under conservative management, the patient experienced gradual resolution of all symptoms excluding the disturbance of upward gaze.

Upper urinary tract stone disease in patients with poor performance status: active stone removal or conservative management?

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Shimpei; Kohjimoto, Yasuo; Hirabayashi, Yasuo; Iguchi, Takashi; Iba, Akinori; Higuchi, Masatoshi; Koike, Hiroyuki; Wakamiya, Takahito; Nishizawa, Satoshi; Hara, Isao

2017-11-16

It remains controversial as to whether active stone removal should be performed in patients with poor performance status because of their short life expectancy and perioperative risks. Our objectives were to evaluate treatment outcomes of active stone removal in patients with poor performance status and to compare life prognosis with those managed conservatively. We retrospectively reviewed 74 patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 3 or 4 treated for upper urinary tract calculi at our four hospitals between January 2009 and March 2016. Patients were classified into either surgical treatment group or conservative management group based on the presence of active stone removal. Stone-free rate and perioperative complications in surgical treatment group were reviewed. In addition, we compared overall survival and stone-specific survival between the two groups. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to investigate predictors of overall survival and stone-specific survival. Fifty-two patients (70.3%) underwent active stone removal (surgical treatment group) by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (n = 6), ureteroscopy (n = 39), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (n = 6) or nephrectomy (n = 1). The overall stone-free rate was 78.8% and perioperative complication was observed in nine patients (17.3%). Conservative treatment was undergone by 22 patients (29.7%) (conservative management group). Two-year overall survival rates in surgical treatment and conservative management groups were 88.0% and 38.4%, respectively (p performance status could be performed safely and effectively. Compared to conservative management, surgical stone treatment achieved longer overall survival and stone-specific survival.

The ecosystem approach to fisheries: management at the dynamic interface between biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Simon; Smith, Anthony D M; Fulton, Elizabeth A; Smith, David C

2014-08-01

The emergence of an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) was characterized by the adoption of objectives for maintaining ecosystem health alongside those for fisheries. The EAF was expected to meet some aspirations for biodiversity conservation, but health was principally linked to sustainable use rather than lower levels of human impact. Consequently, while policies including EAF concepts identified objectives for fisheries management and biodiversity conservation, the wording often reflected unresolved societal and political debates about objectives and gave imprecise guidance on addressing inevitable trade-offs. Despite scientific progress in making trade-offs and consequences explicit, there remain substantial differences in interpretations of acceptable impact, responses to uncertainty and risk, and the use of management measures by groups accountable for fisheries management and biodiversity conservation. Within and among nations and regions, these differences are influenced by the contribution of fisheries, aquaculture, farming, and trade to food security, consumers' options, and other social, economic, and environmental factors. Notwithstanding, mutual understanding of the motivations and norms of fisheries management and biodiversity conservation groups is increasing, and interactions between these groups have likely supported more progress toward meeting their stated objectives than would have otherwise been achievable. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION: FRAMEWORKS, GAPS, AND SYNERGIES IN SCIENCE, LAW, AND MANAGEMENT.

Science.gov (United States)

Meretsky, Vicky J; Atwell, Jonathan W; Hyman, Jeffrey B

2011-01-01

Migratory animals provide unique spectacles of cultural, ecological, and economic importance. However, the process of migration is a source of risk for migratory species as human actions increasingly destroy and fragment habitat, create obstacles to migration, and increase mortality along the migration corridor. As a result, many migratory species are declining in numbers. In the United States, the Endangered Species Act provides some protection against extinction for such species, but no protection until numbers are severely reduced, and no guarantee of recovery to population levels associated with cultural, ecological, or economic significance. Although groups of species receive some protection from statutes such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, there is no coordinated system for conservation of migratory species. In addition, information needed to protect migratory species is often lacking, limiting options for land and wildlife managers who seek to support these species. In this Article, we outline the existing scientific, legal, and management information and approaches to migratory species. Our objective is to assess present capacity to protect the species and the phenomenon of migration, and we argue that al three disciplines are necessary for effective conservation. We find significant capacity to support conservation in all three disciplines, but no organization around conservation of migration within any discipline or among the three disciplines. Areas of synergy exist among the disciplines but not as a result of any attempt for coordination. As a result, significant gaps in information and capacity exist that must be addressed if effective conservation of migratory species is to be undertaken. We suggest that all three disciplines cooperate to identify the most pressing research needs, so that these can become targets for relevant funding sources. We identify areas of current risk to migratory species that represent gaps

Management of oral and maxillofacial radiological images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun Kyung

2002-01-01

To implement the database system of oral and maxillofacial radiological images using a commercial medical image management software with personally developed classification code. The image database was built using a slightly modified commercial medical image management software, Dr. Image v.2.1 (Bit Computer Co., Korea). The function of wild card '*' was added to the search function of this program. Diagnosis classification codes were written as the number at the first three digits, and radiographic technique classification codes as the alphabet right after the diagnosis code. 449 radiological films of 218 cases from January, 2000 to December, 2000, which had been specially stored for the demonstration and education at Dept. of OMF Radiology of Dankook University Dental Hospital, were scanned with each patient information. Cases could be efficiently accessed and analyzed by using the classification code. Search and statistics results were easily obtained according to sex, age, disease diagnosis and radiographic technique. Efficient image management was possible with this image database system. Application of this system to other departments or personal image management can be made possible by utilizing the appropriate classification code system.

Generation of priority research questions to inform conservation policy and management at a national level.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudd, Murray A; Beazley, Karen F; Cooke, Steven J; Fleishman, Erica; Lane, Daniel E; Mascia, Michael B; Roth, Robin; Tabor, Gary; Bakker, Jiselle A; Bellefontaine, Teresa; Berteaux, Dominique; Cantin, Bernard; Chaulk, Keith G; Cunningham, Kathryn; Dobell, Rod; Fast, Eleanor; Ferrara, Nadia; Findlay, C Scott; Hallstrom, Lars K; Hammond, Thomas; Hermanutz, Luise; Hutchings, Jeffrey A; Lindsay, Kathryn E; Marta, Tim J; Nguyen, Vivian M; Northey, Greg; Prior, Kent; Ramirez-Sanchez, Saudiel; Rice, Jake; Sleep, Darren J H; Szabo, Nora D; Trottier, Geneviève; Toussaint, Jean-Patrick; Veilleux, Jean-Philippe

2011-06-01

Integrating knowledge from across the natural and social sciences is necessary to effectively address societal tradeoffs between human use of biological diversity and its preservation. Collaborative processes can change the ways decision makers think about scientific evidence, enhance levels of mutual trust and credibility, and advance the conservation policy discourse. Canada has responsibility for a large fraction of some major ecosystems, such as boreal forests, Arctic tundra, wetlands, and temperate and Arctic oceans. Stressors to biological diversity within these ecosystems arise from activities of the country's resource-based economy, as well as external drivers of environmental change. Effective management is complicated by incongruence between ecological and political boundaries and conflicting perspectives on social and economic goals. Many knowledge gaps about stressors and their management might be reduced through targeted, timely research. We identify 40 questions that, if addressed or answered, would advance research that has a high probability of supporting development of effective policies and management strategies for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in Canada. A total of 396 candidate questions drawn from natural and social science disciplines were contributed by individuals with diverse organizational affiliations. These were collaboratively winnowed to 40 by our team of collaborators. The questions emphasize understanding ecosystems, the effects and mitigation of climate change, coordinating governance and management efforts across multiple jurisdictions, and examining relations between conservation policy and the social and economic well-being of Aboriginal peoples. The questions we identified provide potential links between evidence from the conservation sciences and formulation of policies for conservation and resource management. Our collaborative process of communication and engagement between scientists and decision makers for

DNA in the conservation and management of African antelope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorenzen, Eline

2016-01-01

tool in informed species conservation and sustainable wildlife management. The movement of antelope through translocations, reintroductions, and population augmentations is common practice in wildlife management. DNA-led species identification using genetic barcoding is an effective use of genetic data...... within forensics. DNA barcoding is a taxonomic method that uses a short genetic marker in an organism's DNA to identify it as belonging to a particular species....... databases, and represents a valuable reference database of antelope DNA diversity. For the evolution of antelope, sub-Saharan Africa is a region of particular intrigue. The geographic regions of sub-Saharan Africa represent unique evolutionary scenarios. Molecular data have become an increasingly important...

A conservative approach to pediatric mandibular fracture management: outcome and advantages.

Science.gov (United States)

Khatri, Amit; Kalra, Namita

2011-01-01

Pediatric mandibular fractures are rare and their treatment remains controversial. Management is extremely complicated in mixed dentition as it is inherently dynamic and unstable. Treatment options include soft diet, intermaxillary fixation with eyelet wires, arch bars, circummandibular wiring, or stents. Alternative options include open reduction and internal fixation through either an intraoral or extraoral approach. This case report describes and evaluates the conservative technique of acrylic splint in the treatment of pediatric mandible fracture in a 12-year-old female child. The patient with isolated mandibular fracture was treated with acrylic splint and interdental wiring followed by evaluation of clinical and radiographic healing as well as the somatosensory status. Patient demonstrated clinical union to her pre-injury occlusion by three to four weeks. Panoramic finding supported the finding of clinical examination throughout the study. High osteogenic potential of the pediatric mandible allowed conservative management to be successful in this case.

Mammal indicator species for protected areas and managed forests in a landscape conservation area in northern India

Science.gov (United States)

Pradeep K. Mathur; Harish Kumar; John F. Lehmkuhl; Anshuman Tripathi; Vishwas B. Sawarkar; Rupak. De

2010-01-01

There is a realization that managed forests and other natural areas in the landscape matrix can and must make significant contributions to biodiversity conservation. Often, however, there are no consistent baseline vegetation or wildlife data for assessing the status of biodiversity elements across protected and managed areas for conservation planning, nor is there a...

Groundwater resources: conservation and management: proceedings of the sixteenth national symposium on environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puranik, V.D.; Ramachandran, T.V.; Saradhi, I.V.; Sahu, S.K.; Prathibha, P.

2008-01-01

The main theme of this volume is conservation and management of groundwater resources. The topics covered are groundwater for sustainable development, problems perspectives and challenges, monitoring and modeling of pollutants and their transport, waste management, environmental radioactivity and environmental awareness and biodiversity. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

Conservation genomics of natural and managed populations: building a conceptual and practical framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Benestan, Laura Marilyn; Ferchaud, Anne-Laure; Hohenlohe, Paul A; Garner, Brittany A; Naylor, Gavin J P; Baums, Iliana Brigitta; Schwartz, Michael K; Kelley, Joanna L; Luikart, Gordon

2016-07-01

The boom of massive parallel sequencing (MPS) technology and its applications in conservation of natural and managed populations brings new opportunities and challenges to meet the scientific questions that can be addressed. Genomic conservation offers a wide range of approaches and analytical techniques, with their respective strengths and weaknesses that rely on several implicit assumptions. However, finding the most suitable approaches and analysis regarding our scientific question are often difficult and time-consuming. To address this gap, a recent workshop entitled 'ConGen 2015' was held at Montana University in order to bring together the knowledge accumulated in this field and to provide training in conceptual and practical aspects of data analysis applied to the field of conservation and evolutionary genomics. Here, we summarize the expertise yield by each instructor that has led us to consider the importance of keeping in mind the scientific question from sampling to management practices along with the selection of appropriate genomics tools and bioinformatics challenges. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding the local socio-political processes affecting conservation management outcomes in Corbett Tiger Reserve, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Rastogi, Archi; Hickey, Gordon M; Badola, Ruchi; Hussain, Syed Ainul

2014-05-01

Several measures have been recommended to guarantee a sustainable population of tigers: sufficient inviolate spaces for a viable population, sufficient prey populations, trained and skilled manpower to guard against poaching and intrusion, banning trade in tiger products to reduce poaching, and importantly, the political will to precipitate these recommendations into implementation. Of these, the creation of sufficient inviolate spaces (generally in the form of protected areas) has created the most issues with local resource-dependent communities, often resulting in significant challenges for tiger conservation policy and management. Very little empirical research has, however, been done to understand and contextualize the local-level socio-political interactions that may influence the efficacy of tiger conservation in India. In this paper, we present the results of exploratory research into the ways in which local-stakeholder groups affect the management of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). Using a combined grounded theory-case study research design, and the Institutional Analysis and Development framework for analysis, we identify the socio-political processes through which local-stakeholder groups are able to articulate their issues and elicit desirable actions from the management of CTR. Increasing our awareness of these processes can help inform the design and implementation of more effective tiger conservation management and policy strategies that have the potential to create more supportive coalitions of tiger conservation stakeholders at the local level.

Understanding the Local Socio-political Processes Affecting Conservation Management Outcomes in Corbett Tiger Reserve, India

Science.gov (United States)

Rastogi, Archi; Hickey, Gordon M.; Badola, Ruchi; Hussain, Syed Ainul

2014-05-01

Several measures have been recommended to guarantee a sustainable population of tigers: sufficient inviolate spaces for a viable population, sufficient prey populations, trained and skilled manpower to guard against poaching and intrusion, banning trade in tiger products to reduce poaching, and importantly, the political will to precipitate these recommendations into implementation. Of these, the creation of sufficient inviolate spaces (generally in the form of protected areas) has created the most issues with local resource-dependent communities, often resulting in significant challenges for tiger conservation policy and management. Very little empirical research has, however, been done to understand and contextualize the local-level socio-political interactions that may influence the efficacy of tiger conservation in India. In this paper, we present the results of exploratory research into the ways in which local-stakeholder groups affect the management of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). Using a combined grounded theory-case study research design, and the Institutional Analysis and Development framework for analysis, we identify the socio-political processes through which local-stakeholder groups are able to articulate their issues and elicit desirable actions from the management of CTR. Increasing our awareness of these processes can help inform the design and implementation of more effective tiger conservation management and policy strategies that have the potential to create more supportive coalitions of tiger conservation stakeholders at the local level.

Conservative Management of Placenta Accreta in a Multiparous Woman

OpenAIRE

Jennifer C. Hunt

2010-01-01

Placenta accreta refers to any abnormally invasive placental implantation. Diagnosis is suspected postpartum with failed delivery of a retained placenta. Massive obstetrical hemorrhage is a known complication, often requiring peripartum hysterectomy. We report a case of presumed placenta accreta in a patient following failed manual removal of a retained placenta. We describe an attempt at conservative management with methotrexate in a stable patient desiring future fertility. Treatment was ...

Pacemaker lead erosion simulating "Loch Ness Monster": conservative management.

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Naveen; Moorthy, Nagaraja

2012-12-01

The majority of pacemaker pocket or lead erosions are due to either mechanical erosion by the bulky pulse generator or secondary to pacemaker pocket infection. We describe an unusual case of delayed pacemaker lead erosion causing extrusion of a portion of the pacing lead, with separate entry and exit points, with the gap filled with new skin formation, simulating the "Loch Ness Monster", which was successfully managed conservatively by surgical reinsertion.

Imaging of appendicitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Himal Gajjar

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Appendicitis is one of the commonest causes of abdominal pain requiring surgery. Early diagnosis and management are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. Imaging is valuable in the diagnosis of cases that are clinically atypical. Imaging also allows evaluation of the complications of appendicitis. In certain circumstances, conservative treatment of complicated appendicitis with percutaneous drainage is appropriate.

Conservative management of anal and rectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerard, J.P.; Romestaing, P.; Montbarbon, X.

1989-01-01

The role of irradiation in the management of anal and rectal cancer has changed during the past ten years. In small epidermoid carcinomas of the anal canal (T1 T2) irradiation is in most departments considered the primary treatment, giving a 5-year survival rate of between 60 and 80% with good sphincter preservation. Even in larger tumors, irradiation can still offer some chance of cure without colostomy. Surgery remains the basic treatment of rectal cancer but irradiation is used in association with surgery in many cases. Radiotherapy is of value in the conservative management of cancer of the rectum in three situations: In small polypoid cancers contact X-ray therapy can give local control in about 90%. In cancers of the middle rectum, preoperative external irradiation may increase the chances of restorative surgery and reduce the risk of local relapse. In inoperable patients, external radiotherapy and/or intracavitary irradiation may cure some patients with infiltrating tumors (T2 T3) without colostomy. (orig.)

Breaking through the crisis in marine conservation and management: insights from the philosophies of Ed Ricketts.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagarin, Raphael D; Crowder, Larry B

2009-02-01

Over the last decade, 2 major U.S. commissions on ocean policy and a wide range of independent sources have argued that ocean ecosystems are in a period of crisis and that current policies are inadequate to prevent further ecological damage. These sources have advocated ecosystem-based management as an approach to address conservation issues in the oceans, but managers remain uncertain as to how to implement ecosystem-based approaches in the real world. We argue that the philosophies of Edward F. Ricketts, a mid-20th-century marine ecologist, offer a framework and clear guidance for taking an ecosystem approach to marine conservation. Ricketts' philosophies, which were grounded in basic observations of natural history, espoused building a holistic picture of the natural world, including the influence of humans, through repeated observation. This approach, when applied to conservation, grounds management in what is observable in nature, encourages early action in the face of uncertainty, and supports an adaptive approach to management as new information becomes available. Ricketts' philosophy of "breaking through," which focuses on getting beyond crisis and conflict through honest debate of different parties' needs (rather than forcing compromise of differing positions), emphasizes the social dimension of natural resource management. New observational technologies, long-term ecological data sets, and especially advances in the social sciences made available since Ricketts' time greatly enhance the utility of Ricketts' philosophy of marine conservation.

Conservative management of an elite ice hockey goaltender with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI): a case report

Science.gov (United States)

MacIntyre, Kyle; Gomes, Brendan; MacKenzie, Steven; D’Angelo, Kevin

2015-01-01

Objective: To detail the presentation of an elite male ice hockey goaltender with cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and acetabular labral tears. This case will outline the prevalence, clinical presentation, imaging criteria, pathomechanics, and management of FAI, with specific emphasis on the ice hockey goaltender. Clinical Features: A 22-year old retired ice hockey goaltender presented to a chiropractor after being diagnosed by an orthopaedic surgeon with MRI confirmed left longitudinal and chondral flap acetabular labral tears and cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). As the patient was not a candidate for surgical intervention, a multimodal conservative treatment approach including manual therapy, electroacupuncture and rehabilitation exercises were implemented. Summary: FAI is prevalent in ice hockey players, particularly with goaltenders. Both skating and position-dependent hip joint mechanics involved in ice hockey may exacerbate or contribute to acquired and congenital forms of symptomatic FAI. As such, practitioners managing this population must address sport-specific demands in manual therapy, rehabilitation and physical training, to improve functional outcomes and prevent future injury. PMID:26816416

Speckle-tracking echocardiography for predicting outcome in chronic aortic regurgitation during conservative management and after surgery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Niels Thue; Søgaard, Peter; Larsson, Henrik B W

2011-01-01

Objectives The aim of this study was to test myocardial deformation imaging using speckle-tracking echocardiography for predicting outcomes in chronic aortic regurgitation. Background In chronic aortic regurgitation, left ventricular (LV) dysfunction must be detected early to allow timely surgery....... Speckle-tracking echocardiography has been proposed for this purpose, but the clinical value of this method in aortic regurgitation has not been established. Methods A longitudinal study was performed in 64 patients with moderate to severe aortic regurgitation. Thirty-five patients were managed...... conservatively with frequent clinical visits and sequential echocardiography and followed for an average of 19 ± 8 months, while 29 patients underwent surgery for the valve lesion and were followed for 6 months post-operatively. Baseline LV function by speckle-tracking and conventional echocardiography...

A roadmap for knowledge exchange and mobilization research in conservation and natural resource management.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Vivian M; Young, Nathan; Cooke, Steven J

2017-08-01

Scholars across all disciplines have long been interested in how knowledge moves within and beyond their community of peers. Rapid environmental changes and calls for sustainable management practices mean the best knowledge possible is needed to inform decisions, policies, and practices to protect biodiversity and sustainably manage vulnerable natural resources. Although the conservation literature on knowledge exchange (KE) and knowledge mobilization (KM) has grown in recent years, much of it is based on context-specific case studies. This presents a challenge for learning cumulative lessons from KE and KM research and thus effectively using knowledge in conservation and natural resources management. Although continued research on the gap between knowledge and action is valuable, overarching conceptual frameworks are now needed to enable summaries and comparisons across diverse KE-KM research. We propose a knowledge-action framework that provides a conceptual roadmap for future research and practice in KE/KM with the aim of synthesizing lessons learned from contextual case studies and guiding the development and testing of hypotheses in this domain. Our knowledge-action framework has 3 elements that occur at multiple levels and scales: knowledge production (e.g., academia and government), knowledge mediation (e.g., knowledge networks, actors, relational dimension, and contextual dimension), and knowledge-based action (e.g., instrumental, symbolic, and conceptual). The framework integrates concepts from the sociology of science in particular, and serves as a guide to further comprehensive understanding of knowledge exchange and mobilization in conservation and sustainable natural resource management. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

The impact of landsat satellite monitoring on conservation biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Leimgruber, Peter; Christen, Catherine A; Laborderie, Alison

2005-07-01

Landsat 7's recent malfunctioning will result in significant gaps in long-term satellite monitoring of Earth, affecting not only the research of the Earth science community but also conservation users of these data. To determine whether or how important Landsat monitoring is for conservation and natural resource management, we reviewed the Landsat program's history with special emphasis on the development of user groups. We also conducted a bibliographic search to determine the extent to which conservation research has been based on Landsat data. Conservation biologists were not an early user group of Landsat data because a) biologists lacked technical capacity--computers and software--to analyze these data; b) Landsat's 1980s commercialization rendered images too costly for biologists' budgets; and c) the broad-scale disciplines of conservation biology and landscape ecology did not develop until the mid-to-late 1980s. All these conditions had changed by the 1990s and Landsat imagery became an important tool for conservation biology. Satellite monitoring and Landsat continuity are mandated by the Land Remote Sensing Act of 1992. This legislation leaves open commercial options. However, past experiments with commercial operations were neither viable nor economical, and severely reduced the quality of monitoring, archiving and data access for academia and the public. Future satellite monitoring programs are essential for conservation and natural resource management, must provide continuity with Landsat, and should be government operated.

The effect of platelet-rich plasma injection on lateral epicondylitis following failed conservative management.

Science.gov (United States)

Brkljac, Milos; Kumar, Shyam; Kalloo, Dale; Hirehal, Kiran

2015-12-01

We assessed the effect PRP injection on pain and function in patients with lateral epicondylitis where conservative management had failed. We prospectively reviewed 34 patients. The mean follow-up was 26 weeks (range 6-114 weeks). We used the Oxford Elbow Score (OES) and progression to surgery to assess outcomes. 88.2% improved their OES. 8.8% reported symptom progression. One patient had no change. No patients suffered adverse reactions. Two patients underwent an open release procedure. One had the injection repeated. An injection of PRP improves pain and function in patients suffering from LE where conservative management has failed.

Scientifically defensible fish conservation and recovery plans: Addressing diffuse threats and developing rigorous adaptive management plans

Science.gov (United States)

Maas-Hebner, Kathleen G.; Schreck, Carl B.; Hughes, Robert M.; Yeakley, Alan; Molina, Nancy

2016-01-01

We discuss the importance of addressing diffuse threats to long-term species and habitat viability in fish conservation and recovery planning. In the Pacific Northwest, USA, salmonid management plans have typically focused on degraded freshwater habitat, dams, fish passage, harvest rates, and hatchery releases. However, such plans inadequately address threats related to human population and economic growth, intra- and interspecific competition, and changes in climate, ocean, and estuarine conditions. Based on reviews conducted on eight conservation and/or recovery plans, we found that though threats resulting from such changes are difficult to model and/or predict, they are especially important for wide-ranging diadromous species. Adaptive management is also a critical but often inadequately constructed component of those plans. Adaptive management should be designed to respond to evolving knowledge about the fish and their supporting ecosystems; if done properly, it should help improve conservation efforts by decreasing uncertainty regarding known and diffuse threats. We conclude with a general call for environmental managers and planners to reinvigorate the adaptive management process in future management plans, including more explicitly identifying critical uncertainties, implementing monitoring programs to reduce those uncertainties, and explicitly stating what management actions will occur when pre-identified trigger points are reached.

Cheap and nasty? The potential perils of using management costs to identify global conservation priorities.

Science.gov (United States)

McCreless, Erin; Visconti, Piero; Carwardine, Josie; Wilcox, Chris; Smith, Robert J

2013-01-01

The financial cost of biodiversity conservation varies widely around the world and such costs should be considered when identifying countries to best focus conservation investments. Previous global prioritizations have been based on global models for protected area management costs, but this metric may be related to other factors that negatively influence the effectiveness and social impacts of conservation. Here we investigate such relationships and first show that countries with low predicted costs are less politically stable. Local support and capacity can mitigate the impacts of such instability, but we also found that these countries have less civil society involvement in conservation. Therefore, externally funded projects in these countries must rely on government agencies for implementation. This can be problematic, as our analyses show that governments in countries with low predicted costs score poorly on indices of corruption, bureaucratic quality and human rights. Taken together, our results demonstrate that using national-level estimates for protected area management costs to set global conservation priorities is simplistic, as projects in apparently low-cost countries are less likely to succeed and more likely to have negative impacts on people. We identify the need for an improved approach to develop global conservation cost metrics that better capture the true costs of avoiding or overcoming such problems. Critically, conservation scientists must engage with practitioners to better understand and implement context-specific solutions. This approach assumes that measures of conservation costs, like measures of conservation value, are organization specific, and would bring a much-needed focus on reducing the negative impacts of conservation to develop projects that benefit people and biodiversity.

Cheap and Nasty? The Potential Perils of Using Management Costs to Identify Global Conservation Priorities

Science.gov (United States)

McCreless, Erin; Visconti, Piero; Carwardine, Josie; Wilcox, Chris; Smith, Robert J.

2013-01-01

The financial cost of biodiversity conservation varies widely around the world and such costs should be considered when identifying countries to best focus conservation investments. Previous global prioritizations have been based on global models for protected area management costs, but this metric may be related to other factors that negatively influence the effectiveness and social impacts of conservation. Here we investigate such relationships and first show that countries with low predicted costs are less politically stable. Local support and capacity can mitigate the impacts of such instability, but we also found that these countries have less civil society involvement in conservation. Therefore, externally funded projects in these countries must rely on government agencies for implementation. This can be problematic, as our analyses show that governments in countries with low predicted costs score poorly on indices of corruption, bureaucratic quality and human rights. Taken together, our results demonstrate that using national-level estimates for protected area management costs to set global conservation priorities is simplistic, as projects in apparently low-cost countries are less likely to succeed and more likely to have negative impacts on people. We identify the need for an improved approach to develop global conservation cost metrics that better capture the true costs of avoiding or overcoming such problems. Critically, conservation scientists must engage with practitioners to better understand and implement context-specific solutions. This approach assumes that measures of conservation costs, like measures of conservation value, are organization specific, and would bring a much-needed focus on reducing the negative impacts of conservation to develop projects that benefit people and biodiversity. PMID:24260502

Cheap and nasty? The potential perils of using management costs to identify global conservation priorities.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin McCreless

Full Text Available The financial cost of biodiversity conservation varies widely around the world and such costs should be considered when identifying countries to best focus conservation investments. Previous global prioritizations have been based on global models for protected area management costs, but this metric may be related to other factors that negatively influence the effectiveness and social impacts of conservation. Here we investigate such relationships and first show that countries with low predicted costs are less politically stable. Local support and capacity can mitigate the impacts of such instability, but we also found that these countries have less civil society involvement in conservation. Therefore, externally funded projects in these countries must rely on government agencies for implementation. This can be problematic, as our analyses show that governments in countries with low predicted costs score poorly on indices of corruption, bureaucratic quality and human rights. Taken together, our results demonstrate that using national-level estimates for protected area management costs to set global conservation priorities is simplistic, as projects in apparently low-cost countries are less likely to succeed and more likely to have negative impacts on people. We identify the need for an improved approach to develop global conservation cost metrics that better capture the true costs of avoiding or overcoming such problems. Critically, conservation scientists must engage with practitioners to better understand and implement context-specific solutions. This approach assumes that measures of conservation costs, like measures of conservation value, are organization specific, and would bring a much-needed focus on reducing the negative impacts of conservation to develop projects that benefit people and biodiversity.

Multifunctional management of mountain forests - Compromises between the protection and conservation functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Fuhr, Nicolas Clouet, Thomas Cordonnier and Frédéric Berger

2011-03-01

Full Text Available How can the balance between protection against natural hazards and biodiversity conservation be determined at each stage in forest development? This study provides a number of answers in view of improving multifunctional management.

Genetic characterization of Western European noble crayfish populations (Astacus astacus) for advanced conservation management strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schrimpf, A.; Piscione, M.; Cammaerts, R.; Collas, M.; Herman, D.; Jung, A.; Ottburg, F.; Roessink, I.; Rollin, X.; Schulz, R.; Theissinger, K.

2017-01-01

One central goal of conservation biology is to conserve the genetic diversity of species in order to protect their adaptive potential. The main objective of this study was to identify management units (MUs) for the threatened noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) in Western Europe by utilizing

Mass-storage management for distributed image/video archives

Science.gov (United States)

Franchi, Santina; Guarda, Roberto; Prampolini, Franco

1993-04-01

The realization of image/video database requires a specific design for both database structures and mass storage management. This issue has addressed the project of the digital image/video database system that has been designed at IBM SEMEA Scientific & Technical Solution Center. Proper database structures have been defined to catalog image/video coding technique with the related parameters, and the description of image/video contents. User workstations and servers are distributed along a local area network. Image/video files are not managed directly by the DBMS server. Because of their wide size, they are stored outside the database on network devices. The database contains the pointers to the image/video files and the description of the storage devices. The system can use different kinds of storage media, organized in a hierarchical structure. Three levels of functions are available to manage the storage resources. The functions of the lower level provide media management. They allow it to catalog devices and to modify device status and device network location. The medium level manages image/video files on a physical basis. It manages file migration between high capacity media and low access time media. The functions of the upper level work on image/video file on a logical basis, as they archive, move and copy image/video data selected by user defined queries. These functions are used to support the implementation of a storage management strategy. The database information about characteristics of both storage devices and coding techniques are used by the third level functions to fit delivery/visualization requirements and to reduce archiving costs.

A conservative approach to pediatric mandibular fracture management: Outcome and advantages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amit Khatri

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Pediatric mandibular fractures are rare and their treatment remains controversial. Management is extremely complicated in mixed dentition as it is inherently dynamic and unstable. Treatment options include soft diet, intermaxillary fixation with eyelet wires, arch bars, circummandibular wiring, or stents. Alternative options include open reduction and internal fixation through either an intraoral or extraoral approach. This case report describes and evaluates the conservative technique of acrylic splint in the treatment of pediatric mandible fracture in a 12-year-old female child. The patient with isolated mandibular fracture was treated with acrylic splint and interdental wiring followed by evaluation of clinical and radiographic healing as well as the somatosensory status. Patient demonstrated clinical union to her pre-injury occlusion by three to four weeks. Panoramic finding supported the finding of clinical examination throughout the study. High osteogenic potential of the pediatric mandible allowed conservative management to be successful in this case.

Environmental impact assessment - A management tool for conservation of large marine ecosystems

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Nair, V.R.

and conservation of natural resources. The problem has become crucial and the only alternative is the implementation of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) to evolve environmental management strategies for optimum use of a given coastal area without disturbing...

Positives and pathologies of natural resource management on private land-conservation areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Clements, Hayley S; Cumming, Graeme S

2017-06-01

In managed natural resource systems, such as fisheries and rangelands, there is a recognized trade-off between managing for short-term benefits and managing for longer term resilience. Management actions that stabilize ecological attributes or processes can improve productivity in the supply of ecosystem goods and services in the short term but erode system resilience at longer time scales. For example, fire suppression in rangelands can increase grass biomass initially but ultimately result in an undesirable, shrub-dominated system. Analyses of this phenomenon have focused largely on how management actions influence slow-changing biophysical system attributes (such as vegetation composition). Data on the frequency of management actions that reduce natural ecological variation on 66 private land-conservation areas (PLCAs) in South Africa were used to investigate how management actions are influenced by manager decision-making approaches, a largely ignored part of the problem. The pathology of natural resource management was evident on some PLCAs: increased focus on revenue-generation in decision making resulted in an increased frequency of actions to stabilize short-term variation in large mammal populations, which led to increased revenues from ecotourism or hunting. On many PLCAs, these management actions corresponded with a reduced focus on ecological monitoring and an increase in overstocking of game (i.e., ungulate species) and stocking of extralimitals (i.e., game species outside their historical range). Positives in natural resource management also existed. Some managers monitored slower changing ecological attributes, which resulted in less-intensive management, fewer extralimital species, and lower stocking rates. Our unique, empirical investigation of monitoring-management relationships illustrates that management decisions informed by revenue monitoring versus ecological monitoring can have opposing consequences for natural resource productivity and

Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection

Science.gov (United States)

McKinley, Duncan C.; Miller-Rushing, Abe J.; Ballard, Heidi L.; Bonney, Rick; Brown, Hutch; Cook-Patton, Susan; Evans, Daniel M.; French, Rebecca A.; Parrish, Julia; Phillips, Tina B.; Ryan, Sean F.; Shanley, Lea A.; Shirk, Jennifer L.; Stepenuck, Kristine F.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Wiggins, Andrea; Boyle, Owen D.; Briggs, Russell D.; Chapin, Stuart F.; Hewitt, David A.; Preuss, Peter W.; Soukup, Michael A.

2017-01-01

Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is a powerful tool for tackling many of the challenges faced in the field of conservation biology. We describe the two interwoven paths by which citizen science can improve conservation efforts, natural resource management, and environmental protection. The first path includes building scientific knowledge, while the other path involves informing policy and encouraging public action. We explore how citizen science is currently used and describe the investments needed to create a citizen science program. We find that:Citizen science already contributes substantially to many domains of science, including conservation, natural resource, and environmental science. Citizen science informs natural resource management, environmental protection, and policymaking and fosters public input and engagement.Many types of projects can benefit from citizen science, but one must be careful to match the needs for science and public involvement with the right type of citizen science project and the right method of public participation.Citizen science is a rigorous process of scientific discovery, indistinguishable from conventional science apart from the participation of volunteers. When properly designed, carried out, and evaluated, citizen science can provide sound science, efficiently generate high-quality data, and help solve problems.

CONSERVATIVE THERAPY VERSUS EPIDURAL STEROID INFILTRATION IN MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK ACHE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivian Roshan D

2015-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Sciatica due to lumbar intervertebral disc herniation is one of the most common causes of radicular pain in an adult working population. This study aims at studying the effectiveness of conservative management of lumbar disc herniation as an alternative to surgical measures. METHODS: A prospective study of 100 patients with lumbar disc herniations who were treated conservatively were followed up at intervals of 1 month, 6 months and 1 year. Patients planned for conservative treatment were treated with pharmacological therapy, rest and physiotherapy. Those planned for epidural steroid injections were administered a single dose of steroid one level higher than the lesion in the epidural space. The collected data was analyzed by Chi square. RESULTS: Our results showed that in both genders, epidural steroid infiltration yielded better results than conservative treatment. Occupation had no discernible effect on the magnitude of disc herniation. People with sedentary lifestyle recovered better with epidural steroid infiltration as compared to the heavy physical labor group. Irrespective of disc bulge, protrusion or extrusion, the epidural steroid injection group showed significant improvement in symptoms as compared to conservative treatment. Smokers tended to show delay in the recovery as compared with the non-smoker group. The amount of disc herniation is not directly proportional to the outcome of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Epidural steroid infiltration showed significant improvement in symptoms of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation thereby avoiding disc surgery. Conservative management for atleast 4 to 6 weeks can be recommended followed by epidural steroid in those patients without improvement. Cessation of smoking should be an integral part of the treatment.

[Radar as imaging tool in ecology and conservation biology].

Science.gov (United States)

Matyjasiak, Piotr

2017-01-01

Migrations and dispersal are among the most important ecological processes that shape ecosystems and influence our economy, health and safety. Movements of birds, bats and insects occur in a large spatial scale - regional, continental, or intercontinental. However, studies of these phenomena using classic methods are usually local. Breakthrough came with the development of radar technology, which enabled researchers to study animal movements in the atmosphere in a large spatial and temporal scale. The aim of this article was to present the radar imaging methods used in the research of aerial movements of birds, bats and insects. The types of radars used in research are described, and examples of the use of radar in basic research and in conservation biology are discussed. Radar visualizations are used in studies on the effect of meteorological conditions on bird migration, on spatial and temporal dynamics of movements of birds, bats and insects, and on the mechanism of orientation of migrating birds and insects. In conservation biology research radars are used in the monitoring of endangered species of birds and bats, to monitor bird activity at airports, as well as in assessing the impact of high constructions on flying birds and bats.

76 FR 43745 - Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) Provisions; Fisheries of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-21

... during the course of the FY. Management uncertainty for the LAGC IFQ fleet is considered very low because... incorporate ACT into the LAGC IFQ fleet allocation, but chose not to apply any management uncertainty buffer... Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 648 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA...

Effectiveness and Morbidity Associated With Reirradiation in Conservative Salvage Management of Recurrent Soft-Tissue Sarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Indelicato, Daniel J.; Meadows, Kenyon; Gibbs, Charles P.; Morris, Christopher G.; Scarborough, Mark T.; Zlotecki, Robert A.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The management of isolated local recurrence of soft-tissue sarcoma is therapeutically complex, and functional conservative management is preferable to radical or amputative salvage surgery. This study reviews University of Florida experience using conservative resection and reirradiation to manage isolated local recurrences of soft-tissue sarcoma. Methods and Materials: Between 1976 and 2005, a total of 14 patients who underwent primary conservative resection and irradiation developed isolated local recurrence and were managed with salvage conservative resection and reirradiation. Of the patients treated, 3 had tumors of the distal extremity, 8 had tumors of the proximal extremity, and 3 had tumors of the trunk. At the time of recurrence, 64% of tumors were greater than 5 cm and 79% were high grade. In combination with gross total resection, 13 of 14 patients received external beam radiotherapy with or without brachytherapy, and 1 patient was treated with brachytherapy alone. Two patients received chemotherapy. Results: The median follow-up was 30 months, and no living patients were lost during follow-up. From retreatment, the 5-year actuarial overall survival, cause-specific survival, and local control rates were 40%, 40%, and 18% respectively. There was a 50% incidence of serious complication requiring either reoperation or leading to permanent functional impairment. Of the 14 patients, only 1 has remained disease free and without significant complications. No treatment factors, including achieving wide surgical margins or delivering higher radiation dosages, seemed to confer an advantage in local control. Conclusions: Salvage therapy for management of locally recurrent soft-tissue sarcoma is challenging, and the effects of reoperation and reirradiation can be severe

Rotation grazing as a conservation management tool : Vegetation changes after six years of application in a salt marsh ecosystem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lagendijk, D. D. Georgette; Howison, Ruth A.; Esselink, Peter; Ubels, Richard; Smit, Christian

2017-01-01

Grazing is commonly used in conservation to promote biodiversity, but the search for a grazing management regime that optimises biodiversity is still ongoing. Rotation grazing, where grazing is followed by a relatively long period of non-grazing, is a relative new tool in conservation management,

Velocity of climate change algorithms for guiding conservation and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamann, Andreas; Roberts, David R; Barber, Quinn E; Carroll, Carlos; Nielsen, Scott E

2015-02-01

The velocity of climate change is an elegant analytical concept that can be used to evaluate the exposure of organisms to climate change. In essence, one divides the rate of climate change by the rate of spatial climate variability to obtain a speed at which species must migrate over the surface of the earth to maintain constant climate conditions. However, to apply the algorithm for conservation and management purposes, additional information is needed to improve realism at local scales. For example, destination information is needed to ensure that vectors describing speed and direction of required migration do not point toward a climatic cul-de-sac by pointing beyond mountain tops. Here, we present an analytical approach that conforms to standard velocity algorithms if climate equivalents are nearby. Otherwise, the algorithm extends the search for climate refugia, which can be expanded to search for multivariate climate matches. With source and destination information available, forward and backward velocities can be calculated allowing useful inferences about conservation of species (present-to-future velocities) and management of species populations (future-to-present velocities). © 2014 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of a soil conservation standard and guidelines for OHV recreation management in California

Science.gov (United States)

Bedrossian, T.L.; Reynolds, S.D.

2007-01-01

In 2004, the California State Parks (CSP) agency contracted with the California Geological Survey (CGS) to update the 1991 Soil Conservation Guide-lines/Standards for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Management. Per state legislation, the 1991 standards were updated to establish a generic and measurable standard at least sufficient to allow restoration of OHV areas and trails. Given the rapid increase in OHV use in California, the updated Soil Conservation Standard and Guidelines for OHV Recreation Management also allowed for sustainability of trail systems and recreation opportunities. A key part of the update was interaction with stakeholders, agencies, and other interest groups through public workshops and a Consulting Agency Review Committee composed of representatives from the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, California Department of Conservation, and CSP. CGS also assessed proposed revisions in three representative OHV areas to ensure that the updated Standard and Guidelines provided sufficient flexibility to allow their application to all sites state-wide, ecosystems with multiple geology and soils types, and a variety of vehicle uses. While geology was not the only basis for the guideline revisions, it was a major factor. CGS staff also had the breadth of knowledge and experience in engineering geology, hydrogeology, road and trail construction, erosion control, and OHV riding necessary to coordinate and develop the multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder effort.

Management of COPD: Is there a role for quantitative imaging?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirby, Miranda; Beek, Edwin J.R. van; Seo, Joon Beom; Biederer, Juergen; Nakano, Yasutaka; Coxson, Harvey O.; Parraga, Grace

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Multicentre studies with CT are enabling a better understanding of COPD phenotypes. • New pulmonary MRI techniques have emerged that provide sensitive COPD biomarkers. • OCT is the only imaging modality that can directly quantify the small airways. • Imaging may identify phenotypes for effective COPD management to improve outcomes. - Abstract: While the recent development of quantitative imaging methods have led to their increased use in the diagnosis and management of many chronic diseases, medical imaging still plays a limited role in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this review we highlight three pulmonary imaging modalities: computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and the COPD biomarkers that may be helpful for managing COPD patients. We discussed the current role imaging plays in COPD management as well as the potential role quantitative imaging will play by identifying imaging phenotypes to enable more effective COPD management and improved outcomes.

Management of COPD: Is there a role for quantitative imaging?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirby, Miranda [Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada); UBC James Hogg Research Center & The Institute of Heart and Lung Health, St. Paul' s Hospital, Vancouver (Canada); Beek, Edwin J.R. van [Clinical Research Imaging Centre, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Seo, Joon Beom [Department of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Biederer, Juergen [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Heidelberg (Germany); Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), Member of the German Lung Research Center (DZL) (Germany); Radiologie Darmstadt, Gross-Gerau County Hospital (Germany); Nakano, Yasutaka [Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga (Japan); Coxson, Harvey O. [Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada); UBC James Hogg Research Center & The Institute of Heart and Lung Health, St. Paul' s Hospital, Vancouver (Canada); Parraga, Grace, E-mail: gparraga@robarts.ca [Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London (Canada); Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Western Ontario, London (Canada)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Multicentre studies with CT are enabling a better understanding of COPD phenotypes. • New pulmonary MRI techniques have emerged that provide sensitive COPD biomarkers. • OCT is the only imaging modality that can directly quantify the small airways. • Imaging may identify phenotypes for effective COPD management to improve outcomes. - Abstract: While the recent development of quantitative imaging methods have led to their increased use in the diagnosis and management of many chronic diseases, medical imaging still plays a limited role in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this review we highlight three pulmonary imaging modalities: computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and the COPD biomarkers that may be helpful for managing COPD patients. We discussed the current role imaging plays in COPD management as well as the potential role quantitative imaging will play by identifying imaging phenotypes to enable more effective COPD management and improved outcomes.

Help Desk Answers: Surgery vs conservative management for AC joint repair: How do the 2 compare?

Science.gov (United States)

Matchin, Bruce; Yee, Bruce; Mott, Timothy

2016-04-01

When not considering the grade of acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation, both conservative and surgical management lead to positive outcomes, although surgically managed patients require more time out of work.

Costs of conservative management of early-stage prostate cancer compared to radical prostatectomy–a claims data analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina Brandes

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Due to widespread PSA testing incidence rates of localized prostate cancer increase but curative treatment is often not required. Overtreatment imposes a substantial economic burden on health care systems. We compared the direct medical costs of conservative management and radical therapy for the management of early-stage prostate cancer in routine care. Methods An observational study design is chosen based on claims data of a German statutory health insurance fund for the years 2008–2011. Three hundred fifty-three age-matched men diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated with conservative management and radical prostatectomy, are included. Individuals with diagnoses of metastases or treatment of advanced prostate cancer are excluded. In an excess cost approach direct medical costs are considered from an insured community perspective for in- and outpatient care, pharmaceuticals, physiotherapy, and assistive technologies. Generalized linear models adjust for comorbidity by Charlson comorbidity score and recycled predictions method calculates per capita costs per treatment strategy. Results After follow-up of 2.5 years per capita costs of conservative management are €6611 lower than costs of prostatectomy ([−9734;−3547], p < 0.0001. Complications increase costs of assistive technologies by 30% (p = 0.0182, but do not influence any other costs. Results are robust to cost outliers and incidence of prostate cancer diagnosis. The short time horizon does not allow assessing long-term consequences of conservative management. Conclusions At a time horizon of 2.5 years, conservative management is preferable to radical prostatectomy in terms of costs. Claims data analysis is limited in the selection of comparable treatment groups, as clinical information is scarce and bias due to non-randomization can only be partly mitigated by matching and confounder adjustment.

Evaluating outcomes of management targeting the recovery of a migratory songbird of conservation concern

Science.gov (United States)

Streby, Henry M.; Kramer, Gunnar R.; Peterson, Sean M.; Andersen, David

2018-01-01

Assessing outcomes of habitat management is critical for informing and adapting conservation plans. From 2013 – 2019, a multi-stage management initiative aims to create >25,000 ha of shrubland and early-successional vegetation to benefit Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) in managed forested landscapes of the western Great Lakes region. We studied a dense breeding population of Golden-winged Warblers at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Minnesota, USA, where shrubs and young trees were sheared during the winter of 2014-2015 in a single treatment supported in part by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and in part by other funding source(s) to benefit Golden-winged Warblers and other species associated with young forest [e.g., American Woodcock (Scalopax minor)] and as part of maintenance of early successional forest cover on the refuge.

Are we working towards global research priorities for management and conservation of sea turtles?

Science.gov (United States)

Rees, A.F.; Alfaro-Shigueto, J.; Barata, P.C.R.; Bjorndal, K.A.; Bolten, A.B.; Bourjea, J.; Broderick, A.C.; Campbell, L.M.; Cardona, L.; Carreras, C.; Casale, P.; Ceriani, S.A.; Dutton, P.H.; Eguchi, T.; Formia, A.; Fuentes, M.M.P.B.; Fuller, W.J.; Girondot, M.; Godfrey, M.H.; Hamann, M.; Hart, Kristen M.; Hays, G.C.; Hochscheid, S.; Kaska, Y.; Jensen, M.P.; Mangel, J.C.; Mortimer, J.A.; Naro-Maciel, E.; Ng, C.K.Y.; Nichols, W.J.; Phillott, A.D.; Reina, R.D.; Revuelta, O.; Schofield, G.; Seminoff, J.A.; Shanker, K.; Tomás, J.; van de Merwe, J.P.; Van Houtan, K.S.; Vander Zanden, H.B.; Wallace, B.P.; Wedemeyer-Strombel, K.R.; Work, Thierry M.; Godley, B.J.

2016-01-01

In 2010, an international group of 35 sea turtle researchers refined an initial list of more than 200 research questions into 20 metaquestions that were considered key for management and conservation of sea turtles. These were classified under 5 categories: reproductive biology, biogeography, population ecology, threats and conservation strategies. To obtain a picture of how research is being focused towards these key questions, we undertook a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature (2014 and 2015) attributing papers to the original 20 questions. In total, we reviewed 605 articles in full and from these 355 (59%) were judged to substantively address the 20 key questions, with others focusing on basic science and monitoring. Progress to answering the 20 questions was not uniform, and there were biases regarding focal turtle species, geographic scope and publication outlet. Whilst it offers some meaningful indications as to effort, quantifying peer-reviewed literature output is obviously not the only, and possibly not the best, metric for understanding progress towards informing key conservation and management goals. Along with the literature review, an international group based on the original project consortium was assigned to critically summarise recent progress towards answering each of the 20 questions. We found that significant research is being expended towards global priorities for management and conservation of sea turtles. Although highly variable, there has been significant progress in all the key questions identified in 2010. Undertaking this critical review has highlighted that it may be timely to undertake one or more new prioritizing exercises. For this to have maximal benefit we make a range of recommendations for its execution. These include a far greater engagement with social sciences, widening the pool of contributors and focussing the questions, perhaps disaggregating ecology and conservation.

Ecosystem management and the conservation of caribou habitat in British Columbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dale R. Seip

1998-03-01

Full Text Available Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou in British Columbia inhabit a wide variety of forest ecosystems. Numerous research projects have provided information that has been used to develop caribou habitat management recommendations for different areas. Recently, the province has implemented guidelines to protect biodiversity that are based on an ecosystem management strategy of mimicking natural forest conditions. There is a great deal of similarity between caribou management recommendations and biodiversity recommendations within different forest types. In mountain caribou habitat, both approaches recommend maintaining a landscape dominated by old and mature forests, uneven-aged management, small cutblocks, and maintaining mature forest connectivity. In northern caribou habitat, both approaches recommend maintaining some older stands on the landscape (but less than for mountain caribou, even-aged management, and a mosaic of large harvest units and leave areas. The ecosystem management recommendations provide a useful foundation for caribou habitat conservation. More detailed information on caribou and other management objectives can then be used to fine-tune those recommendations.

Incompletely characterized incidental renal masses: emerging data support conservative management.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverman, Stuart G; Israel, Gary M; Trinh, Quoc-Dien

2015-04-01

With imaging, most incidental renal masses can be diagnosed promptly and with confidence as being either benign or malignant. For those that cannot, management recommendations can be devised on the basis of a thorough evaluation of imaging features. However, most renal masses are either too small to characterize completely or are detected initially in imaging examinations that are not designed for full evaluation of them. These masses constitute a group of masses that are considered incompletely characterized. On the basis of current published guidelines, many masses warrant additional imaging. However, while the diagnosis of renal cancer at a curable stage remains the first priority, there is the additional need to reduce unnecessary healthcare costs and radiation exposure. As such, emerging data now support foregoing additional imaging for many incompletely characterized renal masses. These data include the low risk of progression to metastases or death for small renal masses that have undergone active surveillance (including biopsy-proven cancers) and a better understanding of how specific imaging features can be used to diagnose their origins. These developments support (a) avoidance of imaging entirely for those incompletely characterized renal masses that are highly likely to be benign cysts and (b) delay of further imaging of small solid masses in selected patients. Although more evidence-based data are needed and comprehensive management algorithms have yet to be defined, these recommendations are medically appropriate and practical, while limiting the imaging of many incompletely characterized incidental renal masses.

Tourism, poaching and wildlife conservation: what can integrated conservation and development projects accomplish?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johannesen, Anne Borge; Skonhoft, Anders [Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Dragvoll (Norway)

2005-10-15

Integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have frequently been established in Africa to improve wildlife conservation and the welfare of local communities. However, their effectiveness has been hampered by conflicts and illegal harvesting. This paper focuses on the strategic interaction between the manager of a protected area and a group of local people. The park manager benefits from wildlife through tourism and hunting. The local people benefit through hunting, but also bear the wildlife damage. ICDPs relying on money transfers to the local people from the park manager may or may not promote wildlife conservation. In addition, the welfare of the local people are ambiguous. (author) [Wildlife; Conservation; Conflicts; Local welfare].

Conclusions: The Future of Shark Management and Conservation in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, Dayv

Human interactions with sharks in the Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP) have occurred for millennia but were largely limited to nearshore encounters as target and nontarget catch in fisheries. The arrival of Spanish explorers in the mid-1500s, followed by subsequent waves of explorers and colonizers from Europe and Russia, did little to change this relationship, until the mid-1800s. As technological advances conferred the ability to exploit marine fish further offshore and in deeper water, substantial fisheries developed and many of these encountered, and sometimes directly targeted, sharks. As these fisheries rose and fell with market demands and fluctuations in the abundance of target species, the collective consciousness of the nations fishing this region came to realize that adequate management plans with clear policy guidance rooted in conservation were crucial to sustaining both biodiversity and abundance of marine resources. With explicitly defined management regions governed by scientifically informed bodies that consider both societal and ecological needs, systems have been in place to manage and conserve marine species, including sharks, for over four decades now in the NEP. While policy evolution has largely limited directed fishing pressure as a threat for most shark species, bycatch is still a concern. Additionally, habitat degradation and destruction, ocean acidification, and global climate change are anticipated to fundamentally alter the ecosystems sharks are an integral part of in coming decades and centuries. Adequate conservation and management of sharks in the NEP, and around the world, moving into this period of uncertainty will rely upon comprehensive, integrated management of the ecosystem rooted in international coordination and cooperation. Far from being an unattainable goal, steps are being made each day to 'move the needle' in this direction-for the benefit of all. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Prospects and future of conservative management of beta thalassemia major in a developing country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, M.; Lodhi, Y.

2004-01-01

Objective: To assess the efficacy, prospects and future of conservative management of beta thalassemia major patients in a developing country. Design: Patients registered at IHBTS were studied over a period of three years. They consented to being managed on moderate transfusion regimen, aiming to maintain a pre-transfusion haemoglobin(Hgb) level of 9.0 plus minus 1.0 g per dL. We studied their transfusion requirements, status for transfusion transmitted infections (TTls), serum ferritin levels and complications developing as a result of iron overload. Subjects: Initially all registered patients were included in this study. Sporadic patients as well as dropouts occurring due to any reason, (patients concurrently seeking treatment at other centres as well, or complying poorly to advised chelation therapy) were excluded from the study. The data presented here conforms to a cohort of 60 regular patients who adhered best to our selection criteria. Main Outcome Measures: 1) The study highlights the deficiencies and problems of conservative management for beta thalassemia major. 2) The major impact of our study is the message that conservative management in a poor country, like ours, is a no-win situation. 3) There is an urgent need to immediately start a prevention programme. Results: In the younger patients, blood consumption even on the moderate transfusion regimen is 120ml/kg/year, however with ascending age the consumption increases to 240ml/kg/year. A substantive number of the patients are either Hep C (35%) or Hep B (1.7%) positive. There are no HIV positive patients. Serum ferritin levels vary widely and could not be controlled due to poor compliance to chelation. 50% of the patients developed one or other complications of iron overload. The cost of treatment depending on the quality of care, is tremendous and beyond the reach of the common man. Conclusions: Conservative management may be the best alternative and at times the only hope for patients in our country

Conservation Easements and Management by Family Forest Owners: A Propensity Score Matching Approach with Multi-Imputations of Survey Data

Science.gov (United States)

Nianfu Song; Francisco X. Aguilar; Brett J. Butler

2014-01-01

Increasingly, private landowners are participating in conservation easement programs, but their effects on land management remain to be addressed. Data from the USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey for the US Northern Region were used to investigate how conservation easement participation is associated with selected past and future forest management...

Breast Imaging Second Opinions Impact Surgical Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Spivey, Tara Lynn; Carlson, Kjirsten Ayn; Janssen, Imke; Witt, Thomas R; Jokich, Peter; Madrigrano, Andrea

2015-07-01

Breast surgeons often see women for second opinions for abnormalities found on breast imaging. For second opinions, these images are submitted for review and interpretation by dedicated breast imagers. This study evaluated the conformity of results among interpretation of imaging submitted from outside hospitals both from tertiary care centers, as well as community programs, in an attempt to evaluate the utility of this practice for the sake of clinical management and resource utilization. A retrospective chart review was conducted on all breast patients that submitted outside imaging films for the years 2011 to 2013 at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC). The radiologic diagnosis and each patient's proposed management plan was collected and evaluated for concordance between the outside institutions and RUMC. A total of 380 patients who presented for second opinions with an interpretation of outside exams were evaluated. In 47.4 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 42.4-52.4] of cases there was distinct variance in radiologic impression. For 53.5 % (95 % CI 48.4-58.5) of patients, there was a change in recommended management plan, which included recommendations for either additional imaging or need for additional biopsy. In total, this changed the overall surgical management in 27.1 % (95 % CI 22.8-31.9) of cases. In six patients, the reinterpretation of outside imaging detected new malignancies not previously identified. Overall, 83.7 % (95 % CI 79.7-87.1) of patients who submitted imaging from outside institutions chose to complete the remainder of their treatment at RUMC. The practice of second opinion review changed overall definitive management at our specialty center in more than one in four cases. In addition, the review identified six previously unrecognized malignancies. Given this data, the practice of second opinions and interpretation of outside exams should continue despite the additional resources required.

The management and realizing of image data flow in PACS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao Yonghao; Miao Jingtao

2002-01-01

Objective: To explore the management model and realizing of PACS image data-flow. Methods: Based on the implementing environment and management model of PACS image data-flow after full digital reengineering for radiology department in Shanghai First Hospital was completed, analysis on image data flow types, procedure, and achieving pattern were conducted. Results: Two kinds of image data-flow management were set up for the PACS of Shanghai First Hospital, which included image archiving procedure and image forward procedure. The former was implemented with central management model while the latter was achieved with a program that functionally acted as workflow management running on the central server. Conclusion: The image data-flow management pattern, as a key factor for PACS, has to be designed and implemented functionally and effectively depending on the performance environment, the tasks and requirements specified to particular user

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contributions to wildlife habitat, management issues, challenges and policy choices--an annotated bibliography

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Arthur W.; Vandever, Mark W.

2012-01-01

The following bibliography presents brief summaries of documents relevant to Conservation Reserve Program relations to wildlife habitat, habitat management in agriculturally dominated landscapes, and conservation policies potentially affecting wildlife habitats in agricultural ecosystems. Because the literature summaries furnished provide only sweeping overviews, users are urged to obtain and evaluate those papers appearing useful to obtain a more complete understanding of study findings and their implications to conservation in agricultural ecosystems. The bibliography contains references to reports that reach beyond topics that directly relate to the Conservation Reserve Program. Sections addressing grassland management and landowner surveys/opinions, for example, furnish information useful for enhancing development and administration of conservation policies affecting lands beyond those enrolled in conservation programs. Some sections of the bibliography (for example, agricultural conservation policy, economics, soils) are far from inclusive of all relevant material written on the subject. Hopefully, these sections will serve as fundamental introductions to related issues. In a few instances, references may be presented in more than one section of the bibliography. For example, individual papers specifically addressing both non-game and game birds are included in respective sections of the bibliography. Duplication of citations and associated notes has, however, been kept to a minimum.

SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT THROUGH ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Osondu

socio-cultural, economic system constraints for the implementation and maintenance of conservation .... Purpose of natural resource conservation is therefore ... the soil and water resources through traditional and ..... “Integrated Natural.

1980 survey and evaluation of utility conservation, load management, and solar end-use projects. Volume 3: utility load management projects. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1982-01-01

The results of the 1980 survey of electric utility-sponsored energy conservation, load management, and end-use solar energy conversion projects are described. The work is an expansion of a previous survey and evaluation and has been jointly sponsored by EPRI and DOE through the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There are three volumes and a summary document. Each volume presents the results of an extensive survey to determine electric utility involvement in customer-side projects related to the particular technology (i.e., conservation, solar, or load management), selected descriptions of utility projects and results, and first-level technical and economic evaluations.

75 FR 24549 - Merchant Marine Act and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-05

... Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) Provisions; Fishing Vessel, Fishing Facility and Individual Fishing... Fisheries Finance Program (FFP or the Program) provides long-term financing to the commercial fishing and...) lending program, 16 U.S.C. 1855(i)(1). The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management...

Evidence Based Conservative Management of Patello-femoral Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Carlos Rodriguez-Merchan

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Background:   Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS is defined as pain surrounding the patella when sitting with bent knees for prolonged periods of time or when performing activities like ascending or descending stairs, squatting or   athletic activities. Patella dislocation is not included in PFPS.     Purpose:   This review analyzes the evidence based conservative management of PFPS.   Methods:   A Cochrane Library search related to PFPS was performed until 18 January 2014. The key words were: patellofemoral pain syndrome. Eight papers were found, of which three were reviewed because they were focused   on the topic of the article. We also searched the PubMed using the following keywords: evidence based conservative   management of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Twelve articles were found, of which seven were reviewed because   they were focused on the topic of the article. Overall ten articles were analyzed.     Results:   Different treatments can be tried for PFPS, including pharmacotherapy, therapeutic ultrasound, exercise therapy, and taping and braces.     Conclusions:   Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs may reduce pain in the short term, but pain does not improve after three months. Therapeutic ultrasound appears not to have a clinically important effect on pain relief for   patients with PFPS. The evidence that exercise therapy is more effective in treating PFPS than no exercise is limited   with respect to pain reduction, and conflicting with respect to functional improvement. No significant difference has   been found between taping and non-taping. The role of knee braces is still controversial. More well-designed studies are needed.    

Practical implementation of optimal management strategies in conservation programmes: a mate selection method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernández, J.

2001-12-01

Full Text Available The maintenance of genetic diversity is, from a genetic point of view, a key objective of conservation programmes. The selection of individuals contributing offspring and the decision of the mating scheme are the steps on which managers can control genetic diversity, specially on ‘ex situ’ programmes. Previous studies have shown that the optimal management strategy is to look for the parents’ contributions that yield minimum group coancestry (overall probability of identity by descent in the population and, then, to arrange mating couples following minimum pairwise coancestry. However, physiological constraints make it necessary to account for mating restrictions when deciding the contributions and, therefore, these should be implemented in a single step along with the mating plan. In the present paper, a single-step method is proposed to optimise the management of a conservation programme when restrictions on the mating scheme exist. The performance of the method is tested by computer simulation. The strategy turns out to be as efficient as the two-step method, regarding both the genetic diversity preserved and the fitness of the population.

Renal trauma imaging: Diagnosis and management. A pictorial review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szmigielski, Wojciech; Kumar, Rajendra; Al Hilli, Shatha; Ismail, Mostafa

2013-01-01

The purpose of this review is to illustrate and discuss the spectrum of imaging findings, particularly computed tomography (CT), of blunt and penetrating renal trauma, based on our own materials, according to the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) renal injury grading scale. The article also indicates the conditions in which interventional radiology procedures can be applied for the management of renal trauma. Cases for this pictorial review were selected from the imaging material collected at the Radiology Department of Hamad Medical Corporation during a 14-year period from 1999 to 2012. The material includes 176 cases (164 males and 12 females) with confirmed blunt or penetrating renal trauma. Following abdominal trauma, all patients had a CT examination performed on admission to the hospital and/or during hospitalization. The most representative and illustrative cases of renal trauma were reviewed according to CT findings and were categorized according to the AAST grading system. The review describes a spectrum of imaging presentations with special emphasis on the 5 grades of renal injury on a CT according to the AAST scale. The most representative cases were illustrated and discussed with indications of possible interventional radiology treatment. Two groups of patients not included in the AAST grading system were presented separately: those with preexisting renal abnormalities and those with sustained iatrogenic renal injury. Proper application of renal trauma grading scale is essential for selecting the patients for conservative treatment, surgery or interventional radiology procedure

77 FR 62537 - Notice of Waste Management Permit Application Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-15

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Notice of Waste Management Permit Application Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 AGENCY: National Science Foundation. ACTION: Notice of a Waste Management... the National Science Foundation (NSF) has received a waste management permit application for Mike...

WHAT TO CONSERVE? Heritage, Memory, and Management of Meanings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehab KAMEL-AHMED

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This Paper explores and criticizes different theories and perceptions concerning ‘cultural heritage’ to explore the definitions of ‘heritage’ throughout history, and questions how the conflicts in considering and identifying ‘heritage’ might have affected the approaches to its conservation. In such process, the paper investigates the relation between ‘place’ and ‘memory’ and how place has been always the medium through which history was written, resulting in two inseparable faces, tangible and the intangible, forming the two-faced coin of ‘cultural heritage’. This research assists understanding the complex construct of heritage places; stressing the growing awareness of intangible heritage’s importance, which represents a remarkable turn in heritage conservation realm in the twenty-first century, and emphasizing the notion of heritage as a coefficient of society, which is understood through experience, learnt through performance, and represented through ‘activities’ formed in the present maintaining and developing the identity of place and preserving its spirit, rather than a past oriented vision that tends to ‘pickle’ images from the past in a picturesque manner that is only tourism-oriented.

When will community management conserve biodiversity? Evidence from Malawi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joy E. Hecht

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Both development practitioners and conservation organizations are focused on community ownership and management of natural resources as a way to create incentives for the conservation of biodiversity. This has led to the implementation of a number of large community-based conservation projects in sub-Saharan Africa, in countries including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Rwanda. While the concept is logical, and valuation studies may suggest that conservation is more valuable than other uses of the resources in some areas, there has been little detailed analysis of the financial costs and benefits to the communities, to determine whether they would actually have an incentive to conserve if they had more extensive legal rights to the resources. This paper assesses the conditions under which this approach may be viable, based on a valuation study of the resources of Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi.Les spécialistes du développement et les organisations de conservation s’intéressent à la propriété et à la gestion communautaire des ressources naturelles comme moyen de créer des mesures d’incitation en faveur de la conservation de la biodiversité. Cette approche a conduit à la mise en œuvre d’un certain nombre de grands projets de conservation communautaires en Afrique subsaharienne, notamment en Namibie, au Zimbabwe, au Malawi, en Zambie et au Rwanda. Même si cette approche est logique et si les études d’évaluation semblent suggérer que, dans certaines régions, la conservation est plus utile que l’exploitation des ressources, il existe peu d’analyses détaillées sur les coûts et les avantages financiers que cela engendrerait pour les communautés, analyses qui permettraient de déterminer si le développement des droits légaux des communautés sur ces ressources les inciterait à les conserver. Ce rapport évalue les conditions de viabilité de cette approche sur la base d’une étude d’évaluation des

Image-guided radiotherapy and motion management in lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korreman, Stine

2015-01-01

In this review, image guidance and motion management in radiotherapy for lung cancer is discussed. Motion characteristics of lung tumours and image guidance techniques to obtain motion information are elaborated. Possibilities for management of image guidance and motion in the various steps...

Digital radiology and digitally formatted image management systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, G.G.; Dwyer, S.J. III; Templeton, A.W.

1987-01-01

The number of diagnostic examinations performed with digitally formatted imaging equipment is increasing. Digital general-purpose and fluoroscopic radiology systems are being clinically evaluated. Digitizing conventional x-ray films, such as mammograms, frequently improves the diagnostic quality of the images. The digitizing process with laser has also afforded the opportunity to document required spatial resolution for digital imaging and network systems. The use of digitally formatted image instrumentation imposes new requirements on the acquisition, display and manipulation, transmission, hard copy image recording, and archiving of diagnostic data. Networking of digitally formatted image data offers many advantages for managing digital information. This paper identifies and describes digital radiographic systems. Parameters required for designing and implementing a digital image management system are outlined. Spatial and contrast resolution requirements are identified. The key parameters include the amount of image data generated each working day, the retrieval rate of the generated data, the display hardware and software needed for interactive diagnosis display stations, the requirements for analog hard copy generation, and on-line and long-term archiving requirements. These image management systems are often called PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems)

Towards adaptive fire management for biodiversity conservation: Experience in South African National Parks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian W. van Wilgen

2011-05-01

Conservation implications: Significant challenges face the managers of fire-prone and fire adapted ecosystems, where the attainment of ecosystem goals may require approaches (like encouraging high-intensity fires at hot and dry times of the year that threaten societal goals related to safety. In addition, approaches to fire management have focused on encouraging particular fire patterns in the absence of a sound understanding of their ecological outcomes. Adaptive management offers a framework for addressing these issues, but will require higher levels of agreement, monitoring and assessment than have been the case to date.

Preferred conservation policies of shark researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiffman, David S; Hammerschlag, Neil

2016-08-01

There is increasing concern about the conservation status of sharks. However, the presence of numerous different (and potentially mutually exclusive) policies complicates management implementation and public understanding of the process. We distributed an online survey to members of the largest professional shark and ray research societies to assess member knowledge of and attitudes toward different conservation policies. Questions covered society member opinions on conservation and management policies, personal histories of involvement in advocacy and management, and perceptions of the approach of conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to shark conservation. One hundred and two surveys were completed (overall response rate 21%). Respondents considered themselves knowledgeable about and actively involved in conservation and management policy; a majority believed scientists have a responsibility to advocate for conservation (75%), and majorities have sent formal public comments to policymakers (54%) and included policy suggestions in their papers (53%). They believe sustainable shark fisheries are possible, are currently happening today (in a few places), and should be the goal instead of banning fisheries. Respondents were generally less supportive of newer limit-based (i.e., policies that ban exploitation entirely without a species-specific focus) conservation policy tools, such as shark sanctuaries and bans on the sale of shark fins, than of target-based fisheries management tools (i.e., policies that allow for sustainable harvest of species whose populations can withstand it), such as fishing quotas. Respondents were generally supportive of environmental NGO efforts to conserve sharks but raised concerns about some NGOs that they perceived as using incorrect information and focusing on the wrong problems. Our results show there is an ongoing debate in shark conservation and management circles relative to environmental policy on target-based natural

Modeling Parasite Dynamics on Farmed Salmon for Precautionary Conservation Management of Wild Salmon

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Luke A.; Peacock, Stephanie J.; McKenzie, Peter; DeDominicis, Sharon; Jones, Simon R. M.; Chandler, Peter; Foreman, Michael G. G.; Revie, Crawford W.; Krkošek, Martin

2013-01-01

Conservation management of wild fish may include fish health management in sympatric populations of domesticated fish in aquaculture. We developed a mathematical model for the population dynamics of parasitic sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) on domesticated populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Broughton Archipelago region of British Columbia. The model was fit to a seven-year dataset of monthly sea louse counts on farms in the area to estimate population growth rates in relation to abiotic factors (temperature and salinity), local host density (measured as cohort surface area), and the use of a parasiticide, emamectin benzoate, on farms. We then used the model to evaluate management scenarios in relation to policy guidelines that seek to keep motile louse abundance below an average three per farmed salmon during the March–June juvenile wild Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) migration. Abiotic factors mediated the duration of effectiveness of parasiticide treatments, and results suggest treatment of farmed salmon conducted in January or early February minimized average louse abundance per farmed salmon during the juvenile wild salmon migration. Adapting the management of parasites on farmed salmon according to migrations of wild salmon may therefore provide a precautionary approach to conserving wild salmon populations in salmon farming regions. PMID:23577082

Modeling parasite dynamics on farmed salmon for precautionary conservation management of wild salmon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke A Rogers

Full Text Available Conservation management of wild fish may include fish health management in sympatric populations of domesticated fish in aquaculture. We developed a mathematical model for the population dynamics of parasitic sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis on domesticated populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar in the Broughton Archipelago region of British Columbia. The model was fit to a seven-year dataset of monthly sea louse counts on farms in the area to estimate population growth rates in relation to abiotic factors (temperature and salinity, local host density (measured as cohort surface area, and the use of a parasiticide, emamectin benzoate, on farms. We then used the model to evaluate management scenarios in relation to policy guidelines that seek to keep motile louse abundance below an average three per farmed salmon during the March-June juvenile wild Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp. migration. Abiotic factors mediated the duration of effectiveness of parasiticide treatments, and results suggest treatment of farmed salmon conducted in January or early February minimized average louse abundance per farmed salmon during the juvenile wild salmon migration. Adapting the management of parasites on farmed salmon according to migrations of wild salmon may therefore provide a precautionary approach to conserving wild salmon populations in salmon farming regions.

Structured decision making as a conceptual framework to identify thresholds for conservation and management

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, J.; Runge, M.C.; Nichols, J.D.; Lubow, B.C.; Kendall, W.L.

2009-01-01

Thresholds and their relevance to conservation have become a major topic of discussion in the ecological literature. Unfortunately, in many cases the lack of a clear conceptual framework for thinking about thresholds may have led to confusion in attempts to apply the concept of thresholds to conservation decisions. Here, we advocate a framework for thinking about thresholds in terms of a structured decision making process. The purpose of this framework is to promote a logical and transparent process for making informed decisions for conservation. Specification of such a framework leads naturally to consideration of definitions and roles of different kinds of thresholds in the process. We distinguish among three categories of thresholds. Ecological thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes bring about substantial changes in system dynamics. Utility thresholds are components of management objectives (determined by human values) and are values of state or performance variables at which small changes yield substantial changes in the value of the management outcome. Decision thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes prompt changes in management actions in order to reach specified management objectives. The approach that we present focuses directly on the objectives of management, with an aim to providing decisions that are optimal with respect to those objectives. This approach clearly distinguishes the components of the decision process that are inherently subjective (management objectives, potential management actions) from those that are more objective (system models, estimates of system state). Optimization based on these components then leads to decision matrices specifying optimal actions to be taken at various values of system state variables. Values of state variables separating different actions in such matrices are viewed as decision thresholds. Utility thresholds are included in the objectives

Building an exceptional imaging management team: from theory to practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogan, Laurie

2010-01-01

Building a strong, cohesive, and talented managerial team is a critical endeavor for imaging administrators, as the job will be enhanced if supported by a group of high-performing, well-developed managers. For the purposes of this article, leadership and management are discussed as two separate, yet equally important, components of an imaging administrator's role. The difference between the two is defined as: leadership relates to people, management relates to process. There are abundant leadership and management theories that can help imaging administrators develop managers and ultimately build a better team. Administrators who apply these theories in practical and meaningful ways will improve their teams' leadership and management aptitude. Imaging administrators will find it rewarding to coach and develop managers and witness transformations that result from improved leadership and management abilities.

Translating conservation genetics into management: Pan-European minimum requirements for dynamic conservation units of forest tree genetic diversity

OpenAIRE

Koskela, Jarkko; Lefèvre, François; Schueler, Silvio; Kraigher, Hojka; Olrik, Ditte C.; Hubert, Jason; Longauer, Roman; Bozzano, Michele; Yrjänä, Leena; Alizoti, Paraskevi; Rotach, Peter; Vietto, Lorenzo; Bordács, Sándor; Myking, Tor; Eysteinsson, Thröstur

2013-01-01

This paper provides a review of theoretical and practical aspects related to genetic management of forest trees. The implementation of international commitments on forest genetic diversity has been slow and partly neglected. Conservation of forest genetic diversity is still riddled with problems, and complexities of national legal and administrative structures. Europe is an example of a complex region where the dis- tribution ranges of tree species extend across large geographical areas with ...

Quantifying conservation biological control for management of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in cotton

Science.gov (United States)

Conservation biological control can be an effective tactic for minimizing insect-induced damage to agricultural production. The most effective manner of applying CBC is through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy, combining many tactics including cultural controls, pest sampling, the use of...

Where and how to manage: optimal selection of conservation actions for multiple species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teeffelen, van A.J.A.; Moilanen, A.

2008-01-01

Multiple alternative options are frequently available for the protection, maintenance or restoration of conservation areas. The choice of a particular management action can have large effects on the species occurring in the area, because different actions have different effects on different species.

Factors influencing patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease to opt for conservative management: a practitioner research study

OpenAIRE

Johnston, Sheila; Noble, Helen

2012-01-01

Aims and objectives. This study explored decision-making experiences of patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease when opting for conservative management of their renal failure.Background. Dialysis is an invasive treatment, and for some older patients, there is an associated treatment burden of dialysis-related symptoms. An alternative choice is conservative management, but little is known about those who make this decision and how they are supported through the process.Design. Qualitative...

A conservative approach to pediatric mandibular fracture management: Outcome and advantages

OpenAIRE

Amit Khatri; Namita Kalra

2011-01-01

Pediatric mandibular fractures are rare and their treatment remains controversial. Management is extremely complicated in mixed dentition as it is inherently dynamic and unstable. Treatment options include soft diet, intermaxillary fixation with eyelet wires, arch bars, circummandibular wiring, or stents. Alternative options include open reduction and internal fixation through either an intraoral or extraoral approach. This case report describes and evaluates the conservative technique of acr...

An evaluation of flora from coastal sand dunes of India: Rationale for conservation and management

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rodrigues, R.S.; Mascarenhas, A.; Jagtap, T.G.

stream_size 37100 stream_content_type text/plain stream_name Ocean_Coast_Manage_54_181a.pdf.txt stream_source_info Ocean_Coast_Manage_54_181a.pdf.txt Content-Encoding UTF-8 Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 1... Author version: Ocean & Coastal Management, vol.54(2); 2011; 181-188 An evaluation of flora from coastal sand dunes of India: Rationale for conservation and management Rouchelle S. Rodrigues, Antonio Mascarenhas, Tanaji G. Jagtap * National...

Chapter 6: The scientific basis for conserving forest carnivores: considerations for management

Science.gov (United States)

L. Jack Lyon; Keith B. Aubry; William J. Zielinski; Steven W. Buskirk; Leonard F. Ruggiero

1994-01-01

The reviews presented in previous chapters reveal substantial gaps in our knowledge about marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine. These gaps severely constrain our ability to design reliable conservation strategies. This problem will be explored in depth in Chapter 7. In this chapter, our objective is to discuss management considerations resulting from what we currently...

Energy R and D. Conservation planning and management should be strengthened

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hale, Richard A.; Fishkin, Christine M.B.; MacLeod, Molly W.; Davis, Alphonse R.; Crawford, John T.; Dowd, Leonard L.; Sisson, John W.; Sugimura, Richard H.

1990-07-01

projects. Systematic project reviews and a uniform prioritization methodology would (1) help ensure that ongoing research continues to be relevant and (2) provide information needed for DOE to select the best overall mix of conservation R and D projects. Peer reviews, conducted under Conservation's 'critical review' program, have enhanced DOE R and D management by providing independent, expert guidance to DOE on the continuing relevance of some of Conservation's programs to national and departmental objectives. The peer reviews have recommended changes to many of the programs that have improved them. However, the last peer review was completed in July 1988, and it is likely that the program will be discontinued as an office wide program as a result of the April 1990 reorganization of the Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy

Conservative management of preterm premature rupture of membranes beyond 32 weeks' gestation: is it worthwhile?

Science.gov (United States)

Tsafrir, Z; Margolis, G; Cohen, Y; Cohen, A; Laskov, I; Levin, I; Mandel, D; Many, A

2015-01-01

We aimed to investigate whether conservative management of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 32-34 weeks' gestation improves outcome. In this retrospective analysis of singleton pregnancies, the study group included patients with PPROM at 28-34 weeks' gestation and the control group included patients presented with spontaneous preterm delivery at 28-34 weeks' gestation. Both groups were subdivided according to gestational age - early (28-31 weeks' gestation) versus late (32-34 weeks' gestation). Adverse neonatal outcome included neonatal death, intraventricular haemorrhage grade 3/4, respiratory distress syndrome, periventricular leucomalacia and neonatal sepsis. The study and control groups included 94 and 86 women, respectively. The study group had a lower incidence of adverse neonatal outcome at the earlier weeks (28-31), compared with the control group at the same gestational age. In contrast, at 32-34 weeks' gestation no difference in the risk for adverse neonatal outcome was noticed. Additionally, within the study group, chorioamnionitis rate was significantly higher among those who delivered at 32-34 weeks' gestation (p < 0.01). No advantage for conservative management of PPROM was demonstrated beyond 31 weeks' gestation. Moreover, conservative management of PPROM at 32-34 weeks' gestation may expose both mother and neonate to infectious morbidity.

Conservative management of idiopathic anterior atlantoaxial subluxation without neurological deficits in an 83-year-old female: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchand, Andrée-Anne; Wong, Jessica J

2014-03-01

Atlantoaxial subluxation that is not related to traumatic, congenital, or rheumatological conditions is rare and can be a diagnostic challenge. This case report details a case of anterior atlantoaxial subluxation in an 83-year-old female without history of trauma, congenital, or rheumatological conditions. She presented to the chiropractor with insidious neck pain and headaches, without neurological deficits. Radiographs revealed a widened atlantodental space (measuring 6 mm) indicating anterior atlantoaxial subluxation and potential sagittal atlantoaxial instability. Prompt detection and appropriate conservative management resulted in favourable long-term outcome at 13-months follow-up. Conservative management included education, mobilizations, soft tissue therapy, monitoring for neurological progression, and co-management with the family physician. The purpose of this case report is to heighten awareness of the clinical presentation of idiopathic anterior atlantoaxial subluxation without neurological deficits. Discussion will focus on the incidence, mechanism, clinical presentation, and conservative management of a complex case of anterior atlantoaxial subluxation.

A climate adaptation strategy for conservation and management of yellowcedar in Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Paul E. Hennon; Carol M. McKenzie; David D' Amore; Dustin T. Wittwer; Robin L. Mulvey; Melinda S. Lamb; Frances E. Biles; Rich C. Cronn

2016-01-01

A conservation and management strategy for yellow-cedar in Alaska is presented in the context of climate change. This document has four sections. Section 1 covers the ecology and silvics of yellow-cedar, as well as other background information. Section 2 outlines knowledge on the extensive mortality to yellow-cedar, including the role of climate. Section 3 describes...

Hydrological services and biodiversity conservation under forestation scenarios: comparing options to improve watershed management

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho-Santos, Claudia; Nunes, João Pedro; Sousa-Silva, Rita; Gonçalves, João; Pradinho Honrado, João

2015-04-01

Humans rely on ecosystems for the provision of hydrological services, namely water supply and water damage mitigation, and promoting forests is a widely used management strategy for the provision of hydrological services. Therefore, it is important to model how forests will contribute for this provision, taking into account the environmental characteristics of each region, as well as the spatio-temporal patterns of societal demand. In addition, ensuring forest protection and the delivery of forest ecosystem services is one of the aims included in the European Union biodiversity strategy to 2020. On the other hand, forest management for hydrological services must consider possible trade-offs with other services provision, as well as with biodiversity conservation. Accurate modeling and mapping of both hydrological services and biodiversity conservation value is thus important to support spatial planning and land management options involving forests. The objectives of this study were: to analyze the provision and spatial dynamics of hydrological services under two forest cover change scenarios (oak and eucalyptus/pine) compared to the current shrubland-dominated landscape; and to evaluate their spatial trade-offs with biodiversity conservation value. The Vez watershed (250km2), in northwest Portugal, was used as case-study area. SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) was applied to simulate the provision of hydrological services (water supply quantity, timing and quality; soil erosion and flood regulation), and was calibrated against daily discharge, sediments, nitrates and evapotranspiration. Good agreement was obtained between model predictions and field measurements. The maps for each service under the different scenarios were produced at the Hydrologic Response Unit (HRU) level. Biodiversity conservation value was based on nature protection regimes and on expert valuation applied to a land cover map. Statistical correlations between hydrological services provision

Successful conservative management of a rare complication of tracheostomy; extensive posterior tracheal false pouch.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Jennifer F; Ostwani, Waseem; Green, Glenn

2016-11-01

With the advent of improved neonatal and pediatric intensive care management, tracheostomy is increasingly performed in children requiring prolonged ventilation. Even though tracheostomy is generally a safe procedure, there remains mortality and morbidity associated with it. We report a rare complication of a tracheostomy tube resulting in extensive erosion and posterior tracheal false pouch secondary to a large tracheostomy tube and high positive end expiratory pressure in a 12-month-old infant. This was managed successfully with conservative treatment. A former 34-week premature infant was transferred to our pediatrics intensive care unit (PICU) with recurrent episodes of cardiopulmonary arrests due to suspected severe tracheobronchomalacia. The patient has bronchopulomonary dysplasia, severe restrictive lung disease and thoracic insufficiency from skeletal dysplasia requiring tracheostomy tube (TT) at two-month-old and mechanical ventilation. The 3.5 NEO TT was gradually upsized to a 5. The PEEP setting at transfer was 18cmH2O. The direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy showed moderate tracheomalacia at the innominate artery with a false pouch in the posterior tracheal wall that was 1.1cm below the tracheostomy stoma. A multi-disciplinary discussion including otolaryngology, PICU, Pulmonary Medicine, and Pediatric Surgery decided on conservative management. The false pouch healed and she was transferred back to referring PICU after a 46-day. Tracheal wall erosion resulting in a pouch formation is a rare complication, but it should be considered in patients with long term tracheostomy with difficulty ventilation and oxygenation with positional change. DLB is a useful tool in its diagnosis and conservative management can be successful. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the conservation priority status of South African estuaries for use in management and water allocation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Turpie, JK

2002-04-01

Full Text Available The future health and productivity of South Africa's approximately 250 estuaries is dependent on two main factors; management and freshwater inputs. Both management and water allocation decisions involve trade-offs between conservation and various...

Images of Environment and Management Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Kirsten; Remmen, Arne

; environment as a part of quality management; environment as a part of corporate branding and environment as a part of customer relations. The different images are distributed and coexist throughout the organization, where they may be a potential for conflicting priorities or a platform for organizational......Different images of environment can be found in relation to various understandings of environmental problems and solutions, such as cleaner production, environmental management, cleaner products and sustainability. Ascribed to these images are: environment as a part of license to operate...... as a technical issue as part of a formalized system created barriers for organizational learning in relation to sustainability, while the broader concept of social responsibility shaped a platform from which the employees could create meanings on sustainability more in line with their daily practices....

Magnetic resonance imaging in the repair of ruptured Achilles tendons. Morphological difference in healing process between conservative and surgical treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakano, Tetsuo; Tsuruta, Takao; Abe, Yasuyuki; Tani, Akifumi; Koga, Toshimitsu; Shimizu, Yasuhiro

1996-01-01

We observed the healing process of ruptured Achilles tendons in a series using magnetic resonance imaging. In six cases, tendons were repaired percutaneously with limited skin incisions. Seven cases were treated conservatively using unique functional braces. MR imaging revealed two different modes of conjoining. In the conservatively treated group, tendons inclined to conjoin in a dumbbell shape. In the surgically treated group, they inclined to conjoin in a spindle shape. The diameters of the ruptured part are wider in the spindle shape compared to the dumbbell shape at all stages. These findings suggest that surgical treatment is favorable for acquiring earlier strength. (author)

Innovation in Management Plans for Community Conserved Areas: Experiences from Australian Indigenous Protected Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jocelyn Davies

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Increasing attention to formal recognition of indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs as part of national and/or global protected area systems is generating novel encounters between the customary institutions through which indigenous peoples and local communities manage these traditional estates and the bureaucratic institutions of protected area management planning. Although management plans are widely considered to be important to effective management of protected areas, little guidance has been available about how their form and content can effectively reflect the distinctive socio-cultural and political characteristics of ICCAs. This gap has been particularly apparent in Australia where a trend to rapidly increased formal engagement of indigenous people in environmental management resulted, by 2012, in 50 indigenous groups voluntarily declaring their intent to manage all or part of their estates for conservation in perpetuity, as an indigenous protected area (IPA. Development and adoption of a management plan is central to the process through which the Australian Government recognizes these voluntary declarations and invests resources in IPA management. We identified four types of innovations, apparent in some recent IPA plans, which reflect the distinctive socio-cultural and political characteristics of ICCAs and support indigenous people as the primary decision makers and drivers of knowledge integration in IPAs. These are (1 a focus on customary institutions in governance; (2 strategic planning approaches that respond to interlinkages of stewardship between people, place, plants, and animals; (3 planning frameworks that bridge scales by considering values and issues across the whole of an indigenous people's territory; and (4 varied communication modes appropriate to varied audiences, including an emphasis on visual and spatial modes. Further research is warranted into how governance and management of IPAs, and the plans that

Science framework for conservation and restoration of the sagebrush biome: Linking the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy to long-term strategic conservation actions

Science.gov (United States)

J.C. Chambers; J.L. Beck; J.B. Bradford; J. Bybee; S. Campbell; J. Carlson; T.J. Christiansen; K.J. Clause; G. Collins; M.R. Crist; J.B. Dinkins; K.E. Doherty; F. Edwards; S. Espinosa; K.A. Griffin; P. Griffin; J.R. Haas; S.E. Hanser; D.W. Havlina; K.F. Henke; J.D. Hennig; L.A. Joyce; F.M. Kilkenny; S.M. Kulpa; L.L. Kurth; J.D. Maestas; M. Manning; K.E. Mayer; B.A. Mealor; C. McCarthy; M. Pellant; M.A. Perea; K.L. Prentice; D.A. Pyke; L.A. Wiechman; A. Wuenschel

2017-01-01

The Science Framework is intended to link the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation actions in the sagebrush biome. The Science Framework provides a multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies within the sagebrush biome. The emphasis...

Conservative Management of Theca Lutein Cyst Accident: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radha Bai Prabhu T

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Theca lutein cysts can occur in 20-25% of molar pregnancies. These cysts can undergo complications such as torsion, rupture, and haemorrhage. As these are functional cysts, when there are complications such as torsion they can be managed conservatively by aspirating the cysts under ultrasound guidance or by detorsion at the time of laparoscopy. By simple detorsion, ovaries can be preserved in 80-90% of cases. In order to prevent recurrence adnexal fixation can be undertaken by plicating the ovarian ligament.

Water demand management in times of drought: What matters for water conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Maggioni, Elena

2015-01-01

Southern California is subject to long droughts and short wet spells. Its water agencies have put in place voluntary, mandatory, and market-based conservation strategies since the 1980s. By analyzing water agencies' data between 2006 and 2010, this research studies whether rebates for water efficient fixtures, water rates, or water ordinances have been effective, and tests whether structural characteristics of water agencies have affected the policy outcome. It finds that mandates to curb outdoor water uses are correlated with reductions in residential per capita water usage, while water rates and subsidies for water saving devices are not. It also confirms that size is a significant policy implementation factor. In a policy perspective, the transition from a water supply to a water demand management-oriented strategy appears guided by mandates and by contextual factors such as the economic cycle and the weather that occur outside the water governance system. Three factors could improve the conservation effort: using prices as a conservation tool, not only as a cost recovering instrument; investing in water efficient tools only when they provide significant water savings; supporting smaller agencies in order to give them opportunities to implement conservation strategies more effectively or to help them consolidate.

Local Responses to Participatory Conservation in Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Khadka, Damodar; Nepal, Sanjay K.

2010-02-01

Biodiversity conservation has undergone a profound change in philosophy, policies and management approaches over the last forty years. The traditional top-down approach to nature protection has been widely criticized for failing to include critical social elements in management practices, and is being gradually replaced by a slew of participatory strategies under the rubric of bottom-up conservation. The new approach recognizes local communities as key partners in wildlife management and seeks their participation in social development and biodiversity conservation. However, every social context is different in its structure and functions, and in the way social groups respond to calls for participation. In order to gain a better understanding of the approach and the barriers encountered in its implementation, a questionnaire survey of 188 households was employed in the communities of the Upper Mustang extension of Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) in Nepal. The study provides a comparative analysis of community participation and its barriers between Non-Tourist (NT) and Tourist (TV) villages. The results revealed important differences between the two groups in terms of their participation in community programs, barriers to participation, and perception of benefits from participation. Owing to their distinct spatial, demographic and attitudinal differences, the two village groups have their own sets of needs, values and motivation factors which cannot be generalized and treated as such. The research clearly identifies the need for the conservation agency to be creative in devising strategies and initiatives appropriate to specific social groups so as to optimize their input in participatory conservation.

Decentralizing conservation and diversifying livelihoods within Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Pete; Thapa, Brijesh; Jacob, Aerin

2015-12-01

To alleviate poverty and enhance conservation in resource dependent communities, managers must identify existing livelihood strategies and the associated factors that impede household access to livelihood assets. Researchers increasingly advocate reallocating management power from exclusionary central institutions to a decentralized system of management based on local and inclusive participation. However, it is yet to be shown if decentralizing conservation leads to diversified livelihoods within a protected area. The purpose of this study was to identify and assess factors affecting household livelihood diversification within Nepal's Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project, the first protected area in Asia to decentralize conservation. We randomly surveyed 25% of Kanchenjunga households to assess household socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and access to livelihood assets. We used a cluster analysis with the ten most common income generating activities (both on- and off-farm) to group the strategies households use to diversify livelihoods, and a multinomial logistic regression to identify predictors of livelihood diversification. We found four distinct groups of household livelihood strategies with a range of diversification that directly corresponded to household income. The predictors of livelihood diversification were more related to pre-existing socioeconomic and demographic factors (e.g., more landholdings and livestock, fewer dependents, receiving remittances) than activities sponsored by decentralizing conservation (e.g., microcredit, training, education, interaction with project staff). Taken together, our findings indicate that without direct policies to target marginalized groups, decentralized conservation in Kanchenjunga will continue to exclude marginalized groups, limiting a household's ability to diversify their livelihood and perpetuating their dependence on natural resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Husbandry protocols for the Band-tailed pigeon, Patagioenas fasciata albilinea, at the WCS, Bronx Zoo for future conservation management programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Oehler, David A; Novak, Ben J; Schmid, Susan C; Huth, Ken J; Totha, Aniko I; Audhya, Tapan

2018-01-01

From 2015 to 2016 we determined the husbandry protocols involved in the captive rearing of the Band-tailed Pigeon (BTPI), Patagioenas fascinate albilinea, for use as a tool in the future management of like extant and extinct avian taxa. Current and historical ex-situ conservation management of BTPIs and the closely related Passenger Pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, is limited in scope and required further examination. Focus on the BTPI within zoos and private aviculture facilities is currently lacking. New pressures on the wild populations and future examination of the parameters involved in the possible restoration of the Passenger Pigeon may rely on a complete understanding of these conservation management techniques. Here we report on the establishment of a colony of BTPIs, at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and detail the progress attained. A confiscated group of BTPIs was presented to WCS and allowed us to set up the colony, document the husbandry involved, and monitor neonatal development and the factors that influence that development. The information has provided a better understanding of the BTPI and has implications for the future conservation management of this and like species. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Achievable future conditions as a framework for guiding forest conservation and management

Science.gov (United States)

S.W. Golladay; K.L. Martin; J. M. Vose; D. N. Wear; A.P. Covich; R.J. Hobbs; Kier Klepzig; G.E. Likens; R.J. Naiman; A.W. Shearer

2016-01-01

We contend that traditional approaches to forest conservation and management will be inadequate given the predicted scale of social-economic and biophysical changes in the 21st century. New approaches, focused on anticipating and guiding ecological responses to change, are urgently needed to ensure the full value of forest ecosystem services for future generations....

Developing conservation governance strategies: holistic management of protected areas in Nepal

OpenAIRE

Budhathoki, Prabhu

2012-01-01

The Buffer Zone (BZ) concept has been introduced in Nepal as a key component of the national biodiversity conservation strategy to mitigate the impacts of protected areas on local communities, and thereby reduce adverse impacts of local people on protected areas. Unlike traditional Buffer Zone programmes which are mostly limited to creating a protective layer and/or distributing economic benefits to local people, the Buffer Zone management approach in Nepal integrates livelihoods and conserva...

Waterfowl populations of conservation concern: learning from diverse challenges, models, and conservation strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Jane E.; Slattery, Stuart; Clark, Robert G.

2014-01-01

There are 30 threatened or endangered species of waterfowl worldwide, and several sub-populations are also threatened. Some of these species occur in North America, and others there are also of conservation concern due to declining population trends and their importance to hunters. Here we review conservation initiatives being undertaken for several of these latter species, along with conservation measures in place in Europe, to seek common themes and approaches that could be useful in developing broad conservation guidelines. While focal species may vary in their life histories, population threats and geopolitical context, most conservation efforts have used a systematic approach to understand factors limiting populations and o identify possible management or policy actions. This approach generally includes a priori identification of plausible hypotheses about population declines or status, incorporation of hypotheses into conceptual or quantitative planning models, and the use of some form of structured decision making and adaptive management to develop and implement conservation actions in the face of many uncertainties. A climate of collaboration among jurisdictions sharing these birds is important to the success of a conservation or management programme. The structured conservation approach exemplified herein provides an opportunity to involve stakeholders at all planning stages, allows for all views to be examined and incorporated into model structures, and yields a format for improved communication, cooperation and learning, which may ultimately be one of the greatest benefits of this strategy.

More hostile dyslipidaemia in chronic kidney disease patients on maintenance haemodialysis than on conservative management.

Science.gov (United States)

Rathi, Teerath Kumar; Dhrolia, Murtaza Fakhruddin; Imtiaz, Salman

2016-08-01

To study the pattern of dyslipidaemia in patients with stage-V chronic kidney disease on conservative management and those on maintenance haemodialysis. This comparative observational study was conducted at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from February to July, 2008, and comprised stage-V chronic kidney disease patients. The patients were divided in two groups. Those who were on conservative management were placed in Group A, and those who were on maintenance haemodialysis were in Group B. Serum total lipid, cholesterol, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein for both groups were assayed on chemical analyser and low-density lipoprotein was calculated by Friedwald equation. SPSS 17 was used for data analysis. Of the 120 patients, there were 60(50%) in each group. The mean age of patients in Group A was 46.33±14.56 years and in Group B was 43.4±14.1years. Of all, 64(53.3%) were men and 56(46.7%) were women. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 134±19.58mmHg and 83.6±14.14mmHg in Group A and 129±19.7mmHg and 79.7±12.1mmHg in Group B. Mean serum total lipid was significantly higher (pmaintenance haemodialysis was more hostile than those on conservative management, and posed increased risk of coronary heart disease.

Information management for high content live cell imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

White Michael RH

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background High content live cell imaging experiments are able to track the cellular localisation of labelled proteins in multiple live cells over a time course. Experiments using high content live cell imaging will generate multiple large datasets that are often stored in an ad-hoc manner. This hinders identification of previously gathered data that may be relevant to current analyses. Whilst solutions exist for managing image data, they are primarily concerned with storage and retrieval of the images themselves and not the data derived from the images. There is therefore a requirement for an information management solution that facilitates the indexing of experimental metadata and results of high content live cell imaging experiments. Results We have designed and implemented a data model and information management solution for the data gathered through high content live cell imaging experiments. Many of the experiments to be stored measure the translocation of fluorescently labelled proteins from cytoplasm to nucleus in individual cells. The functionality of this database has been enhanced by the addition of an algorithm that automatically annotates results of these experiments with the timings of translocations and periods of any oscillatory translocations as they are uploaded to the repository. Testing has shown the algorithm to perform well with a variety of previously unseen data. Conclusion Our repository is a fully functional example of how high throughput imaging data may be effectively indexed and managed to address the requirements of end users. By implementing the automated analysis of experimental results, we have provided a clear impetus for individuals to ensure that their data forms part of that which is stored in the repository. Although focused on imaging, the solution provided is sufficiently generic to be applied to other functional proteomics and genomics experiments. The software is available from: fhttp://code.google.com/p/livecellim/

The first “lost year” of Mediterranean sea turtles: dispersal patterns indicate subregional management units for conservation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Casale, Paolo; Mariani, Patrizio

2014-01-01

Identifying highly frequented areas is a priority for sea turtle conservation, and the distribution of young individuals in open waters represents a major knowledge gap due to methodological biases. The drift of hatchlings from 38 loggerhead and 10 green turtle nesting sites in the Mediterranean......-scale international approach. In-water studies in specific zones are identified as a research priority for improving the current knowledge and inform conservation plans....... The Levantine zone may be particularly key for the conservation of the Mediterranean populations of both species, since it may host the highest concentration of individuals. Subregional management units identified by dispersal patterns may facilitate turtle conservation through a relatively small...

Knee arthroscopy versus conservative management in patients with degenerative knee disease: a systematic review

Science.gov (United States)

Brignardello-Petersen, Romina; Guyatt, Gordon H; Buchbinder, Rachelle; Poolman, Rudolf W; Chang, Yaping; Sadeghirad, Behnam; Evaniew, Nathan; Vandvik, Per O

2017-01-01

Objective To determine the effects and complications of arthroscopic surgery compared with conservative management strategies in patients with degenerative knee disease. Design Systematic review. Main outcome measures Pain, function, adverse events. Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Google Scholar and Open Grey up to August 2016. Eligibility criteria For effects, randomised clinical trials (RCTs) comparing arthroscopic surgery with a conservative management strategy (including sham surgery) in patients with degenerative knee disease. For complications, RCTs and observational studies. Review methods Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias for patient-important outcomes. A parallel guideline committee (BMJ Rapid Recommendations) provided input on the design and interpretation of the systematic review, including selection of patient-important outcomes. We used the GRADE approach to rate the certainty (quality) of the evidence. Results We included 13 RCTs and 12 observational studies. With respect to pain, the review identified high-certainty evidence that knee arthroscopy results in a very small reduction in pain up to 3 months (mean difference =5.4 on a 100-point scale, 95% CI 2.0 to 8.8) and very small or no pain reduction up to 2 years (mean difference =3.1, 95% CI −0.2 to 6.4) when compared with conservative management. With respect to function, the review identified moderate-certainty evidence that knee arthroscopy results in a very small improvement in the short term (mean difference =4.9 on a 100-point scale, 95% CI 1.5 to 8.4) and very small or no improved function up to 2 years (mean difference =3.2, 95% CI −0.5 to 6.8). Alternative presentations of magnitude of effect, and associated sensitivity analyses, were consistent with the findings of the primary analysis. Low-quality evidence suggested a very low probability of serious complications after knee arthroscopy

Annual report to Congress on Federal Government energy management and conservation programs, Fiscal year 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-10-06

This report provides sinformation on energy consumption in Federal buildings and operations and documents activities conducted by Federal agencies to meet statutory requirements of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act. It also describes energy conservation and management activities of the Federal Government under section 381 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Implementation activities undertaken during FY94 by the Federal agencies under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Executive Orders 12759 and 12902 are also described. During FY94, total (gross) energy consumption of the US Government, including energy consued to produce, process, and transport energy, was 1.72 quadrillion Btu. This represents {similar_to}2.0% of the total 85.34 quads used in US.

Conservative Management of an Epicardial Collateral Perforation During Retrograde Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Christian; Christopoulos, George; Brilakis, Emmanouil S

2016-01-01

Coronary artery perforation is a highly feared complication of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and can lead to pericardial effusion, tamponade, and, rarely, emergent cardiac surgery. Perforation of epicardial collaterals during retrograde CTO-PCI may be particularly challenging to treat, as embolization from both sides of the perforation may be required to control the bleeding. However, conservative measures can occasionally be effective. We present a case of epicardial collateral vessel perforation that was managed conservatively with anticoagulation reversal.

Fire management, managed relocation, and land conservation options for long-lived obligate seeding plants under global changes in climate, urbanization, and fire regime.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonebrake, Timothy C; Syphard, Alexandra D; Franklin, Janet; Anderson, Kurt E; Akçakaya, H Resit; Mizerek, Toni; Winchell, Clark; Regan, Helen M

2014-08-01

Most species face multiple anthropogenic disruptions. Few studies have quantified the cumulative influence of multiple threats on species of conservation concern, and far fewer have quantified the potential relative value of multiple conservation interventions in light of these threats. We linked spatial distribution and population viability models to explore conservation interventions under projected climate change, urbanization, and changes in fire regime on a long-lived obligate seeding plant species sensitive to high fire frequencies, a dominant plant functional type in many fire-prone ecosystems, including the biodiversity hotspots of Mediterranean-type ecosystems. First, we investigated the relative risk of population decline for plant populations in landscapes with and without land protection under an existing habitat conservation plan. Second, we modeled the effectiveness of relocating both seedlings and seeds from a large patch with predicted declines in habitat area to 2 unoccupied recipient patches with increasing habitat area under 2 projected climate change scenarios. Finally, we modeled 8 fire return intervals (FRIs) approximating the outcomes of different management strategies that effectively control fire frequency. Invariably, long-lived obligate seeding populations remained viable only when FRIs were maintained at or above a minimum level. Land conservation and seedling relocation efforts lessened the impact of climate change and land-use change on obligate seeding populations to differing degrees depending on the climate change scenario, but neither of these efforts was as generally effective as frequent translocation of seeds. While none of the modeled strategies fully compensated for the effects of land-use and climate change, an integrative approach managing multiple threats may diminish population declines for species in complex landscapes. Conservation plans designed to mitigate the impacts of a single threat are likely to fail if additional

Comparison of survival analysis and palliative care involvement in patients aged over 70 years choosing conservative management or renal replacement therapy in advanced chronic kidney disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Jamilla A; Mooney, Andrew; Russon, Lynne

2013-10-01

There are limited data on the outcomes of elderly patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing renal replacement therapy or conservative management. We aimed to compare survival, hospital admissions and palliative care access of patients aged over 70 years with chronic kidney disease stage 5 according to whether they chose renal replacement therapy or conservative management. Retrospective observational study. Patients aged over 70 years attending pre-dialysis clinic. In total, 172 patients chose conservative management and 269 chose renal replacement therapy. The renal replacement therapy group survived for longer when survival was taken from the time estimated glomerular filtration rate management, in patients older than 80 years or with a World Health Organization performance score of 3 or more. There was also a significant reduction in the effect of renal replacement therapy on survival in patients with high Charlson's Comorbidity Index scores. The relative risk of an acute hospital admission (renal replacement therapy vs conservative management) was 1.6 (p management patients died in hospital, compared to 69% undergoing renal replacement therapy (Renal Registry data). Seventy-six percent of the conservative management group accessed community palliative care services compared to 0% of renal replacement therapy patients. For patients aged over 80 years, with a poor performance status or high co-morbidity scores, the survival advantage of renal replacement therapy over conservative management was lost at all levels of disease severity. Those accessing a conservative management pathway had greater access to palliative care services and were less likely to be admitted to or die in hospital.

MANIKIN DEMONSTRATION IN TEACHING CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT OF POSTPARTUM HAEMORRHAGE: A COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL METHODS

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Sathi Mangalam Saraswathi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Even though there are many innovative methods to make classes more interesting and effective, in my department, topics are taught mainly by didactic lectures. This study attempts to compare the effectiveness of manikin demonstration and didactic lectures in teaching conservative management of post-partum haemorrhage. OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of manikin demonstration and didactic lectures in teaching conservative management of postpartum haemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is an observational study. Eighty four ninth-semester MBBS students posted in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government Medical College, Kottayam were selected. They were divided into 2 groups by lottery method. Pre-test was conducted for both groups. Group A was taught by manikin demonstration. Group B was taught by didactic lecture. Feedback response from the students collected after demonstration class was analysed. Post-test was conducted for both the groups after one week. Gain in knowledge of both the groups were calculated from pre-test and post-test scores and compared by Independent sample t test. RESULTS The mean gain in knowledge in group A was 6.4 when compared to group B which is 4.3 and the difference was found to be statistically significant. All of the students in group A felt satisfied and more confident after the class and wanted more topics to be taken by demonstration. CONCLUSION Manikin demonstration class is more effective in teaching conservative management of post-partum haemorrhage and this method can be adopted to teach similar topics in clinical subjects.

Madagascar Conservation & Development

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Madagascar Conservation & Development welcomes the results of original research, field surveys, advances in field and laboratory techniques, book reviews, and informal status reports from research, conservation, development and management programs and in-field projects in Madagascar. In addition, notes on changes ...

Some guiding concepts for conservation biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindenmayer, David; Hunter, Malcolm

2010-12-01

The search for generalities in ecology has often been thwarted by contingency and ecological complexity that limit the development of predictive rules. We present a set of concepts that we believe succinctly expresses some of the fundamental ideas in conservation biology. (1) Successful conservation management requires explicit goals and objectives. (2) The overall goal of biodiversity management will usually be to maintain or restore biodiversity, not to maximize species richness. (3) A holistic approach is needed to solve conservation problems. (4) Diverse approaches to management can provide diverse environmental conditions and mitigate risk. (5) Using nature's template is important for guiding conservation management, but it is not a panacea. (6) Focusing on causes not symptoms enhances efficacy and efficiency of conservation actions. (7) Every species and ecosystem is unique, to some degree. (8) Threshold responses are important but not ubiquitous. (9) Multiple stressors often exert critical effects on species and ecosystems. (10) Human values are variable and dynamic and significantly shape conservation efforts. We believe most conservation biologists will broadly agree these concepts are important. That said, an important part of the maturation of conservation biology as a discipline is constructive debate about additional or alternative concepts to those we have proposed here. Therefore, we have established a web-based, online process for further discussion of the concepts outlined in this paper and developing additional ones. © 2010 Society for Conservation Biology.

The impact of conservation management on the community composition of multiple organism groups in eutrophic interconnected man-made ponds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lemmens, P.; Mergeay, J.; Van Wichelen, J.; De Meester, Luc; Declerck, S.A.J.

2015-01-01

Ponds throughout the world are subjected to a variety of management measures for purposes of biodiversity conservation. Current conservation efforts typically comprise a combination of multiple measures that directly and indirectly impact a wide range of organism groups. Knowledge of the relative

Decision support frameworks and tools for conservation

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Schwartz, Mark W.; Cook, Carly N.; Pressey, Robert L.; Pullin, Andrew S.; Runge, Michael C.; Salafsky, Nick; Sutherland, William J.; Williamson, Matthew A.

2018-01-01

The practice of conservation occurs within complex socioecological systems fraught with challenges that require transparent, defensible, and often socially engaged project planning and management. Planning and decision support frameworks are designed to help conservation practitioners increase planning rigor, project accountability, stakeholder participation, transparency in decisions, and learning. We describe and contrast five common frameworks within the context of six fundamental questions (why, who, what, where, when, how) at each of three planning stages of adaptive management (project scoping, operational planning, learning). We demonstrate that decision support frameworks provide varied and extensive tools for conservation planning and management. However, using any framework in isolation risks diminishing potential benefits since no one framework covers the full spectrum of potential conservation planning and decision challenges. We describe two case studies that have effectively deployed tools from across conservation frameworks to improve conservation actions and outcomes. Attention to the critical questions for conservation project planning should allow practitioners to operate within any framework and adapt tools to suit their specific management context. We call on conservation researchers and practitioners to regularly use decision support tools as standard practice for framing both practice and research.

Integrating conservation costs into sea level rise adaptive conservation prioritization

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Mingjian Zhu

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Biodiversity conservation requires strategic investment as resources for conservation are often limited. As sea level rises, it is important and necessary to consider both sea level rise and costs in conservation decision making. In this study, we consider costs of conservation in an integrated modeling process that incorporates a geomorphological model (SLAMM, species habitat models, and conservation prioritization (Zonation to identify conservation priorities in the face of landscape dynamics due to sea level rise in the Matanzas River basin of northeast Florida. Compared to conservation priorities that do not consider land costs in the analysis process, conservation priorities that consider costs in the planning process change significantly. The comparison demonstrates that some areas with high conservation values might be identified as lower priorities when integrating economic costs in the planning process and some areas with low conservation values might be identified as high priorities when considering costs in the planning process. This research could help coastal resources managers make informed decisions about where and how to allocate conservation resources more wisely to facilitate biodiversity adaptation to sea level rise.

Kingfisher: a system for remote sensing image database management

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Bruzzo, Michele; Giordano, Ferdinando; Dellepiane, Silvana G.

2003-04-01

At present retrieval methods in remote sensing image database are mainly based on spatial-temporal information. The increasing amount of images to be collected by the ground station of earth observing systems emphasizes the need for database management with intelligent data retrieval capabilities. The purpose of the proposed method is to realize a new content based retrieval system for remote sensing images database with an innovative search tool based on image similarity. This methodology is quite innovative for this application, at present many systems exist for photographic images, as for example QBIC and IKONA, but they are not able to extract and describe properly remote image content. The target database is set by an archive of images originated from an X-SAR sensor (spaceborne mission, 1994). The best content descriptors, mainly texture parameters, guarantees high retrieval performances and can be extracted without losses independently of image resolution. The latter property allows DBMS (Database Management System) to process low amount of information, as in the case of quick-look images, improving time performance and memory access without reducing retrieval accuracy. The matching technique has been designed to enable image management (database population and retrieval) independently of dimensions (width and height). Local and global content descriptors are compared, during retrieval phase, with the query image and results seem to be very encouraging.

A case report and a literature review of primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma: the importance of imaging in diagnosis and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesapane, Filippo; Renterghem, Sofie Van; Patella, Francesca; Visschere, Pieter De; Villeirs, Geert

2018-01-29

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma (PRMC) is an extremely rare tumor: its histogenesis and its biological behavior remain speculative. Since most retroperitoneal tumors are malignant, a preoperative diagnosis of benignity is essential and it can be reached through imaging examinations, allowing a conservative management approach. We describe the case of a 52-year-old woman with abdominal pain and a palpable mass. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a retroperitoneal cystic mass, which was resected successfully through laparoscopy and diagnosed as PRMC. Although there are no pathognomonic, clinical or radiological findings for PRMC, it should be included in the list of differential diagnoses and its imaging criteria of benignity should always be sought, with the aim to exclude malignant tumors.

Attitudes of people with osteoarthritis towards their conservative management: a systematic review and meta-ethnography.

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Smith, Toby O; Purdy, Rachel; Lister, Sarah; Salter, Charlotte; Fleetcroft, Robert; Conaghan, Philip G

2014-03-01

This paper determines the perceptions of people diagnosed with osteoarthritis towards their conservative management strategies. A systematic review of the published (AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO, SportsDisc, MEDLINE, Cochrane Clinical Trials Registry, PubMed) and unpublished/trial registry databases (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Current Controlled Trials, the United States National Institute of Health Trials Registry, NIHR Clinical Research Portfolio Database) searched from their inception to July 2013. Eligible studies included those which presented the attitudes or perceptions of people with osteoarthritis towards non-operative management strategies. Study quality was appraised using the CASP and the Gough's weight of evidence appraisal tools. Data were analysed through a meta-ethnography approach. Thirty-three studies including 1,314 people with osteoarthritis were sampled; the majority diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. The overarching themes indicated people with osteoarthritis delay their diagnosis, opting for self-management and informal information gathering. This informal rather than health professional-led guidance is sought and maintained as an important resource throughout the care of this population and is valued. Diagnosis is sought at a 'critical point'. Healthcare interventions largely provided are poorly perceived. The period of subsequent self-management is an expectation before the inevitable requirement for joint replacement. There remains uncertainty regarding when this is required, but the expected failure of conservative treatment to manage pain and symptoms is common. In conclusion, patients should be enthused towards the principles of self-management and clinicians should not trivialise osteoarthritis. This may provide a more valuable perception of non-operative management to promote its adoption and adherence in managing osteoarthritis.

Conservation of greater sage-grouse- a synthesis of current trends and future management

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Connelly, John W.; Knick, Steven T.; Braun, Clait E.; Baker, William L.; Beever, Erik A.; Christiansen, Thomas J.; Doherty, Kevin E.; Garton, Edward O.; Hagen, Christian A.; Hanser, Steven E.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Leu, Matthias; Miller, Richard F.; Naugle, David E.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Pyke, David A.; Reese, Kerry P.; Schroeder, Michael A.; Stiver, San J.; Walker, Brett L.; Wisdorn, Michael J.

2011-01-01

Recent analyses of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations indicate substantial declines in many areas but relatively stable populations in other portions of the species? range. Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats neces-sary to support sage-grouse are being burned by large wildfires, invaded by nonnative plants, and developed for energy resources (gas, oil, and wind). Management on public lands, which con-tain 70% of sagebrush habitats, has changed over the last 30 years from large sagebrush control projects directed at enhancing livestock grazing to a greater emphasis on projects that often attempt to improve or restore ecological integrity. Never-theless, the mandate to manage public lands to provide traditional consumptive uses as well as recreation and wilderness values is not likely to change in the near future. Consequently, demand and use of resources contained in sagebrush land-scapes plus the associated infrastructure to sup-port increasing human populations in the western United States will continue to challenge efforts to conserve Greater Sage-Grouse. The continued widespread distribution of sage-grouse, albeit at very low densities in some areas, coupled with large areas of important sagebrush habitat that are relatively unaffected by the human footprint, sug-gest that Greater Sage-Grouse populations may be able to persist into the future. We summarize the status of sage-grouse populations and habitats, provide a synthesis of major threats and chal-lenges to conservation of sage-grouse, and suggest a roadmap to attaining conservation goals.

The precision problem in conservation and restoration

Science.gov (United States)

Hiers, J. Kevin; Jackson, Stephen T.; Hobbs, Richard J.; Bernhardt, Emily S.; Valentine, Leonie E.

2016-01-01

Within the varied contexts of environmental policy, conservation of imperilled species populations, and restoration of damaged habitats, an emphasis on idealized optimal conditions has led to increasingly specific targets for management. Overly-precise conservation targets can reduce habitat variability at multiple scales, with unintended consequences for future ecological resilience. We describe this dilemma in the context of endangered species management, stream restoration, and climate-change adaptation. Inappropriate application of conservation targets can be expensive, with marginal conservation benefit. Reduced habitat variability can limit options for managers trying to balance competing objectives with limited resources. Conservation policies should embrace habitat variability, expand decision-space appropriately, and support adaptation to local circumstances to increase ecological resilience in a rapidly changing world.

Cost-effectiveness of endovascular repair, open repair, and conservative management of splenic artery aneurysms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hogendoorn, Wouter; Lavida, Anthi; Hunink, M. G Myriam; Moll, Frans L.; Geroulakos, George; Muhs, Bart E.; Sumpio, Bauer E.

2015-01-01

Objective Open repair (OPEN) and conservative management (CONS) have been the treatments of choice for splenic artery aneurysms (SAAs) for many years. Endovascular repair (EV) has been increasingly used with good short-term results. In this study, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of OPEN, EV, and

Sturgeon in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Watershed: New Insights to Support Conservation and Management

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A. Peter Klimley

2015-12-01

Full Text Available doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2015v13iss4art1The goal of a day-long symposium on March 3, 2015, Sturgeon in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Watershed: New Insights to Support Conservation and Management, was to present new information about the physiology, behavior, and ecology of the green (Acipenser medirostris and white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus to help guide enhanced management and conservation efforts within the Sacramento–San Joaquin watershed. This symposium identified current unknowns and highlighted new electronic tracking technologies and physiological techniques to address these knowledge gaps. A number of presentations, each reviewing ongoing research on the two species, was followed by a round-table discussion, in which each of the participants was asked to share recom-mendations for future research on sturgeon in the watershed. This article presents an in-depth review of the scientific information presented at the sympo-sium with a summary of recommendations for future research.

Proactive conservation management of an island-endemic bird species in the face of global change

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, S.A.; Sillett, T. Scott; Ghalambor, Cameron K.; Fitzpatrick, J.W.; Graber, D.M.; Bakker, V.J.; Bowman, R.; Collins, C.T.; Collins, P.W.; Delaney, K.S.; Doak, D.F.; Koenig, Walter D.; Laughrin, L.; Lieberman, A.A.; Marzluff, J.M.; Reynolds, M.D.; Scott, J.M.; Stallcup, J.A.; Vickers, W.; Boyce, W.M.

2011-01-01

Biodiversity conservation in an era of global change and scarce funding benefits from approaches that simultaneously solve multiple problems. Here, we discuss conservation management of the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis), the only island-endemic passerine species in the continental United States, which is currently restricted to 250-square-kilometer Santa Cruz Island, California. Although the species is not listed as threatened by state or federal agencies, its viability is nonetheless threatened on multiple fronts. We discuss management actions that could reduce extinction risk, including vaccination, captive propagation, biosecurity measures, and establishing a second free-living population on a neighboring island. Establishing a second population on Santa Rosa Island may have the added benefit of accelerating the restoration and enhancing the resilience of that island's currently highly degraded ecosystem. The proactive management framework for island scrub-jays presented here illustrates how strategies for species protection, ecosystem restoration, and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change can converge into an integrated solution. ?? 2011 by American Institute of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved.

Conservative surgical management of placenta accreta: a report of 3 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Pliskow, Steven; Dai, Xiaorong; Kohner, Andrew; Kapnick, Jason

2009-10-01

Placenta accreta is often diagnosed at the time of delivery and is a cause of postpartum hemorrhage, morbidity and mortality. The standard treatment for placenta accreta is hysterectomy to avoid acute blood loss and shock. A conservative surgical approach to the treatment of placenta accreta will allow immediate cure while preserving the patient's future fertility. A 39-year-old woman with placenta accreta diagnosed at the time of vaginal delivery was successfully treated with resection of the placental implantation site. A 33-year-old woman and a 35-year-old woman with placenta accreta/increta diagnosed at the time of cesarean section were successfully treated with resection of the placental implantation site. One patient has since conceived and given birth. Placenta accreta and placenta increta can be safely and successfully treated, in some well-selected cases, by resection of the placental implantation site and uterine repair. This conservative surgical management provides immediate therapy, reduces blood loss and preserves fertility.

Multicenter prospective study of magnetic resonance imaging prior to breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qian; Liu, Yinhua; Xu, Ling; Duan, Xuening; Li, Ting; Qin, Naishan; Kang, Hua; Jiang, Hongchuan; Yang, Deqi; Qu, Xiang; Jiang, Zefei; Yu, Chengze

2014-01-01

This multicenter prospective study aimed to assess the utility of dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer. The research subjects were drawn from patients with primary early resectable breast cancer treated in the breast disease centers of six three-level hospitals in Beijing from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012. The participants were allocated to a breast-conserving surgery group (breast-conserving group) or a total mastectomy group (total mastectomy group). Enhanced MRI was used to measure breast volume, longest diameter of tumor and tumor volume. The correlations between these measurements and those derived from histopathologic findings were assessed. The relationships between the success rate of breast-conserving surgery and MRI- and pathology-based measurement results were statistically analyzed in the breast-conserving group. The study included 461 cases in the total mastectomy group and 195 in the breast-conserving group. Allocation to these groups was based on clinical indications and patient preferences. The cut-off for concurrence between MRI- and pathology-based measurements of the longest diameter of tumor was set at 0.3 cm. In the total mastectomy group, the confidence interval for 95% concurrence of these measurements was 35.41%-44.63%. Correlation coefficients for MRI and histopathology-based measurements of breast volume, tumor volume and tumor volume/breast volume ratio were r = 0.861, 0.569, and 0.600, respectively (all P surgery were 100% and 88.54%, respectively. There were significant correlations between dynamic enhanced MRI- and histopathology-based measurements of the longest diameter of breast lesions, breast and tumor volumes, and breast volume/tumor volume ratios. Preoperative MRI examination improves the success rate of breast-conserving surgery.

Diagnostic information management system for the evaluation of medical images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higa, Toshiaki; Torizuka, Kanji; Minato, Kotaro; Komori, Masaru; Hirakawa, Akina

1985-04-01

A practical, small and low-cost diagnostic information management system has been developed for a comparative study of various medical imaging procedures, including ordinary radiography, X-ray computed tomography, emission computed tomography, and so forth. The purpose of the system is to effectively manage the original image data files and diagnostic descriptions during the various imaging procedures. A diagnostic description of each imaging procedure for each patient is made on a hand-sort punched-card with line-drawings and ordinary medical terminology and then coded and computerized using Index for Roentgen Diagnoses (American College of Radiology). A database management software (DB Master) on a personal computer (Apple II) is used for searching for patients' records on hand-sort punched-cards and finally original medical images. Discussed are realistic use of medical images and an effective form of diagnostic descriptions.

Diagnostic information management system for the evaluation of medical images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higa, Toshiaki; Torizuka, Kanji; Minato, Kotaro; Komori, Masaru; Hirakawa, Akina.

1985-01-01

A practical, small and low-cost diagnostic information management system has been developed for a comparative study of various medical imaging procedures, including ordinary radiography, X-ray computed tomography, emission computed tomography, and so forth. The purpose of the system is to effectively manage the original image data files and diagnostic descriptions during the various imaging procedures. A diagnostic description of each imaging procedure for each patient is made on a hand-sort punched-card with line-drawings and ordinary medical terminology and then coded and computerized using Index for Roentgen Diagnoses (American College of Radiology). A database management software (DB Master) on a personal computer (Apple II) is used for searching for patients' records on hand-sort punched-cards and finally original medical images. Discussed are realistic use of medical images and an effective form of diagnostic descriptions. (author)

Conservation in Context: A Comparison of Conservation Perspectives in a Mexican Protected Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martha Bonilla-Moheno

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The conservation of biodiversity in protected areas depends on the interests and agendas of stakeholders involved in the planning and enforcing of management actions. The challenge, therefore, has been to identify and include the perspectives of multiple participants important to local conservation. This paper describes the social context in which local conservation is conducted in a natural protected area in Yucatan, Mexico. In particular, it examines the agreement and expectations among local stakeholders on the main goals the reserve should achieve. Through participatory observation and semi-structured interviews, we analyzed the perceptions on conservation of the five groups relevant to the area management: 1 local people; 2 conservation government agency; 3 scientists; 4 non-governmental organization, and 5 a tourist agency. All actors agreed that the protected area should fulfill two main goals: i to conserve biodiversity and, ii to improve local welfare and development. In general, ecotourism is perceived as the best option for protecting the forest and promoting local development. Traditional agriculture, on the other hand, is perceived as the main conservation threat, but recognized as a crucial component of local wellbeing. We discuss these results in the context of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Jambak Jambu Kalko: Nature conservation management of the Serampas of Jambi, Sumatra

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BAMBANG HARIYADI

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Hariyadi B. 2012. Jambak Jambu Kalko: Nature conservation management of the Serampas of Jambi, Sumatra. Biodiversitas 13: 40-45. Serampas is an indigenous group that still inhabits forested areas around the Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP in the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The group has occupied the area since several centuries ago, long before the KSNP was officially proclaimed as a national park. The blending of local natural conditions, socio-cultural setting and cosmology has gradually produced a number of local wisdoms and practices to manage the local natural resources. The Serampas traditional resource management practices were not only friendly to the environment, but also encourage the more equitable distribution of natural resources among the members of the Serampas community. Jambak jambu kalko is literally means a list of locally important perennial fruit tree species protected by the Serampas customary system. Beyond the jambak jambu kalko the Serampas also recognize customs, traditions, and values that have important role in managing the local natural resources.

Research Priorities from Animal Behaviour for Maximising Conservation Progress.

Science.gov (United States)

Greggor, Alison L; Berger-Tal, Oded; Blumstein, Daniel T; Angeloni, Lisa; Bessa-Gomes, Carmen; Blackwell, Bradley F; St Clair, Colleen Cassady; Crooks, Kevin; de Silva, Shermin; Fernández-Juricic, Esteban; Goldenberg, Shifra Z; Mesnick, Sarah L; Owen, Megan; Price, Catherine J; Saltz, David; Schell, Christopher J; Suarez, Andrew V; Swaisgood, Ronald R; Winchell, Clark S; Sutherland, William J

2016-12-01

Poor communication between academic researchers and wildlife managers limits conservation progress and innovation. As a result, input from overlapping fields, such as animal behaviour, is underused in conservation management despite its demonstrated utility as a conservation tool and countless papers advocating its use. Communication and collaboration across these two disciplines are unlikely to improve without clearly identified management needs and demonstrable impacts of behavioural-based conservation management. To facilitate this process, a team of wildlife managers and animal behaviour researchers conducted a research prioritisation exercise, identifying 50 key questions that have great potential to resolve critical conservation and management problems. The resulting agenda highlights the diversity and extent of advances that both fields could achieve through collaboration. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Body image of Greek breast cancer patients treated with mastectomy or breast conserving surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Anagnostopoulos, Fotios; Myrgianni, Spyridoula

2009-12-01

The aim of this study was to assess and compare the body image of breast cancer patients (n = 70) whom underwent breast conserving surgery or mastectomy, as well as to compare patients' scores with that of a sample of healthy control women (n = 70). A secondary objective of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the 10-item Greek version of the Body Image Scale, a multidimensional measure of body image changes and concerns. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the items of this scale resulted in a two factor solution, indicating perceived attractiveness, and body and appearance satisfaction. Comparison of the two surgical groups revealed that women treated with mastectomy felt less attractive and more self-conscious, did not like their overall appearance, were dissatisfied with their scar, and avoided contact with people. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that more general body image concerns were associated with belonging to the mastectomy group, compared to the cancer-free group of women. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future investigations are discussed.

The Precision Problem in Conservation and Restoration.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiers, J Kevin; Jackson, Stephen T; Hobbs, Richard J; Bernhardt, Emily S; Valentine, Leonie E

2016-11-01

Within the varied contexts of environmental policy, conservation of imperilled species populations, and restoration of damaged habitats, an emphasis on idealized optimal conditions has led to increasingly specific targets for management. Overly-precise conservation targets can reduce habitat variability at multiple scales, with unintended consequences for future ecological resilience. We describe this dilemma in the context of endangered species management, stream restoration, and climate-change adaptation. Inappropriate application of conservation targets can be expensive, with marginal conservation benefit. Reduced habitat variability can limit options for managers trying to balance competing objectives with limited resources. Conservation policies should embrace habitat variability, expand decision-space appropriately, and support adaptation to local circumstances to increase ecological resilience in a rapidly changing world. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the lessons and limitations of conservation and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Oldekop, Johan A; Bebbington, Anthony J; Brockington, Dan; Preziosi, Richard F

2010-04-01

The lack of concrete instances in which conservation and development have been successfully merged has strengthened arguments for strict exclusionist conservation policies. Research has focused more on social cooperation and conflict of different management regimes and less on how these factors actually affect the natural environments they seek to conserve. Consequently, it is still unknown which strategies yield better conservation outcomes? We conducted a meta-analysis of 116 published case studies on common resource management regimes from Africa, south and central America, and southern and Southeast Asia. Using ranked sociodemographic, political, and ecological data, we analyzed the effect of land tenure, population size, social heterogeneity, as well as internally devised resource-management rules and regulations (institutions) on conservation outcome. Although land tenure, population size, and social heterogeneity did not significantly affect conservation outcome, institutions were positively associated with better conservation outcomes. There was also a significant interaction effect between population size and institutions, which implies complex relationships between population size and conservation outcome. Our results suggest that communities managing a common resource can play a significant role in conservation and that institutions lead to management regimes with lower environmental impacts.

Managing image collections a practical guide

CERN Document Server

Note, Margot

2011-01-01

This book explores issues surrounding all aspects of visual collection management, taken from real-world experience in creating management systems and digitizing core content. Readers will gain the knowledge to manage the digitization process from beginning to end, assess and define the needs of their particular project, and evaluate digitization options. Additionally, they will select strategies which best meet current and future needs, acquire the knowledge to select the best images for digitization, and understand the legal issues surrounding digitization of visual collections.<

Government conservation policies on Mexican coastal areas: is "top-down" management working?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héctor Nava

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Marine and terrestrial ecosystems are declining globally due to environmental degradation and poorly planned resource use. Traditionally, local government agencies have been responsible of the management of natural reserves to preserve biodiversity. Nonetheless, much of these approaches have failed, suggesting the development of more integrative strategies. In order to discuss the importance of a holistic approach in conservation initiatives, coastal and underwater landscape value and biological/environmental indicators of coral reef degradation were assessed using the study case of Zihuatanejo, Guerrero coastal area. This area shelters representative coral reef structures of the Eastern Pacific coast and its terrestrial biodiversity and archaeology enhance the high value of its coastal area. This study explored the landscape value of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems using the geomorphosite approach in two sites on the Zihuatanejo coastal area: Caleta de Chon and Manzanillo Beach. Sedimentation rate, water transparency, chlorophyll and total suspended solids were recorded underwater in each site for environmental characterization. 50 photo-quadrants on five transects were surveyed between 3-4m depth to record coverage (% of living corals, dead corals, algae, sand and rocks. The conservation status of coral reefs was assessed by the coral mortality index (MI. Landscape values showed that both terrestrial and marine ecosystems had important scientific and aesthetic values, being Manzanillo Beach the site with the highest potential for conservation initiatives (TtV=14.2. However, coral reefs face elevated sedimentation rates (up to 1.16kg/m2d and low water transparency (less of 5m generated by coastal land use changes that have increased soil erosion in the adjacent coastal area. High coverage of dead corals (23.6% and algae (up to 29% confirm the low values in conservation status of coral reefs (MI=0.5, reflecting a poorly-planned management

Soil tillage conservation and its effect on erosion control, water management and carbon sequestration

Science.gov (United States)

Rusu, Dr.; Gus, Dr.; Bogdan, Dr.; Moraru, Dr.; Pop, Dr.; Clapa, Dr.; Pop, Drd.

2009-04-01

fuel for preparing the germination bed. Presently it is necessary a change concerning the concept of conservation practices and a new approach regarding the control of erosion. The real conservation of soil must be expanded beyond the traditional understanding of soil erosion. The real soil conservation is represented by carbon management. We need to focus to another level concerning conservation by focusing on of soil quality. Carbon management is necessary for a complex of matters including soil, water management, field productivity, biological fuel and climatic change. Profound research is necessary in order to establish the carbon sequestration practices and their implementation impact.

Adaptive management for improving species conservation across the captive-wild spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Canessa, Stefano; Guillera-Arroita, Gurutzeta; Lahoz-Monfort, José J.; Southwell, Darren M; Armstrong, Doug P.; Chadès, Iadine; Lacy, Robert C; Converse, Sarah J.

2016-01-01

Conservation of endangered species increasingly envisages complex strategies that integrate captive and wild management actions. Management decisions in this context must be made in the face of uncertainty, often with limited capacity to collect information. Adaptive management (AM) combines management and monitoring, with the aim of updating knowledge and improving decision-making over time. We provide a guide for managers who may realize the potential of AM, but are unsure where to start. The urgent need for iterative management decisions, the existence of uncertainty, and the opportunity for learning offered by often highly-controlled captive environments create favorable conditions for AM. However, experiments and monitoring may be complicated by small sample sizes, and the ability to control the system, including stochasticity and observability, may be limited toward the wild end of the spectrum. We illustrate the key steps to implementing AM in threatened species management using four case studies, including the management of captive programs for cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and whooping cranes (Grus americana), of a translocation protocol for Arizona cliffroses Purshia subintegra and of ongoing supplementary feeding of reintroduced hihi (Notiomystis cincta) populations. For each case study, we explain (1) how to clarify whether the decision can be improved by learning (i.e. it is iterative and complicated by uncertainty) and what the management objectives are; (2) how to articulate uncertainty via alternative, testable hypotheses such as competing models or parameter distributions; (3) how to formally define how additional information can be collected and incorporated in future management decisions.

Managing and Querying Image Annotation and Markup in XML.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fusheng; Pan, Tony; Sharma, Ashish; Saltz, Joel

2010-01-01

Proprietary approaches for representing annotations and image markup are serious barriers for researchers to share image data and knowledge. The Annotation and Image Markup (AIM) project is developing a standard based information model for image annotation and markup in health care and clinical trial environments. The complex hierarchical structures of AIM data model pose new challenges for managing such data in terms of performance and support of complex queries. In this paper, we present our work on managing AIM data through a native XML approach, and supporting complex image and annotation queries through native extension of XQuery language. Through integration with xService, AIM databases can now be conveniently shared through caGrid.

Managing and Querying Image Annotation and Markup in XML

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fusheng; Pan, Tony; Sharma, Ashish; Saltz, Joel

2010-01-01

Proprietary approaches for representing annotations and image markup are serious barriers for researchers to share image data and knowledge. The Annotation and Image Markup (AIM) project is developing a standard based information model for image annotation and markup in health care and clinical trial environments. The complex hierarchical structures of AIM data model pose new challenges for managing such data in terms of performance and support of complex queries. In this paper, we present our work on managing AIM data through a native XML approach, and supporting complex image and annotation queries through native extension of XQuery language. Through integration with xService, AIM databases can now be conveniently shared through caGrid. PMID:21218167

Conservative Management of Colonoscopic Perforation: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Parsa, Hossein; Miroliaee, Arash; Doagoo, Zafar; Sina, Saeed

2017-07-01

Colonoscopy is widely used for the diagnosis, treatment and a follow up of colorectal diseases. Perforation of the large bowel during elective colonoscopy is rare but serious life threatening complication. We report a 51-year-old woman who experienced recto sigmoid perforation during diagnostic colonoscopy. During 8 days of total hospitalization, she spent 3 days in ICU with gastrointestinal rest. The patient was hydrated and took intravenous antibiotics. In take-output and temperature were closely monitored. Serial abdominal examinations were performed to rule out peritonitis. After transferring to surgery ward in the day 4, liquid diet started slowly, and she was ambulated. At the day 8, she was discharged with the good clinical condition. Conservative management of the patients with early diagnosis of perforation and no signs and symptoms of peritonitis or sepsis could be the modality of choice.

Modeling for the management of peak loads on a radiology image management network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwyer, S.J.; Cox, G.G.; Templeton, A.W.; Cook, L.T.; Anderson, W.H.; Hensley, K.S.

1987-01-01

The design of a radiology image management network for a radiology department can now be assisted by a queueing model. The queueing model requires that the designers specify the following parameters: the number of tasks to be accomplished (acquisition of image data, transmission of data, archiving of data, displaying and manipulation of data, and generation of hard copies); the average times to complete each task; the patient scheduled arrival times; and the number/type of computer nodes interfaced to the network (acquisition nodes, interactive diagnostic display stations, archiving nodes, hard copy nodes, and gateways to hospital systems). The outcomes from the queuering model include mean throughput data rates and identified bottlenecks, and peak throughput data rates and identified bottlenecks. This exhibit presents the queueing model and illustrates its use in managing peak loads on an image management network

Effectiveness of conservative management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: A single hospital based prospective study

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Mumtaz KH. Alnaser

Full Text Available Background: Acute appendicitis is one of the commonest causes of acute abdomen. There is a wide discussion and controversy on the surgical and nonsurgical treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of the conservative management of selected cases of acute appendicitis with an antibiotic first plan. Patients and methods: This was a single hospital-based prospective study with a duration of 25 months. Patients with clinical and radiological features of acute appendicitis presenting within 72 h of the beginning of abdominal pain with Alvarado score ≥5 were included. The patients received a therapeutic dose of broad-spectrum antibiotics and symptomatic treatment. The follow-up period was 6 months. Results: 90 patients were evaluated, 54 (60% patients were female and 36 (40% patients were male with mean age 34.4 years. Conservative treatment was successful in 68 (75.6% patients and failed in 22 (24.4% patients. No mortality recorded in this study. The main complications which occurred in those patients who failed to respond to conservative treatment were perforated appendicitis (3 patients, appendicular abscess (3 patients and appendicular mass (4 patients. Conclusion: Majority of cases of the first attack of uncomplicated acute appendicitis can be treated successfully by conservative treatment. However, conservative treatment demands precise communication, close monitoring and follow-up to recognize failure which needs to be treated immediately by surgery. Keywords: Acute appendicitis, Conservative treatment, Surgery, Antibiotics

Patterns of Assemblage Structure Indicate a Broader Conservation Potential of Focal Amphibians for Pond Management.

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Elin Soomets

Full Text Available Small freshwater ponds host diverse and vulnerable biotic assemblages but relatively few conspicuous, specially protected taxa. In Europe, the amphibians Triturus cristatus and Pelobates fuscus are among a few species whose populations have been successfully restored using pond restoration and management activities at the landscape scale. In this study, we explored whether the ponds constructed for those two target species have wider conservation significance, particularly for other species of conservation concern. We recorded the occurrence of amphibians and selected aquatic macro-invertebrates (dragonflies; damselflies; diving beetles; water scavenger beetles in 66 ponds specially constructed for amphibians (up to 8 years post construction and, for comparison, in 100 man-made ponds (created by local people for cattle or garden watering, peat excavation, etc. and 65 natural ponds in Estonia. We analysed nestedness of the species assemblages and its dependence on the environment, and described the co-occurrence patterns between the target amphibians and other aquatic species. The assemblages in all ponds were significantly nested, but the environmental determinants of nestedness and co-occurrence of particular species differed among pond types. Constructed ponds were most species-rich irrespective of the presence of the target species; however, T. cristatus was frequent in those ponds and rare elsewhere, and it showed nested patterns in every type of pond. We thus conclude that pond construction for the protected amphibians can serve broader habitat conservation aims in the short term. However, the heterogeneity and inconsistent presence of species of conservation concern observed in other types of ponds implies that long-term perspectives on pond management require more explicit consideration of different habitat and biodiversity values. We also highlight nestedness analysis as a tool that can be used for the practical task of selecting focal

Environmental Management System of Petroleum Industries: A case study of Oil and Gas Exploration in the Zamrud Field Conservation Areas

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Onny Setiani

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Background:The Zamrud Field is one of the oil fields managed by Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI a production sharing contractor of Pertamina. It is located in the Coastal Plain and  Pekanbaru (CPP Block. The government of Indonesia has designated Zamrud as a conservation area. The petroleum industry in Zamrud fields has received 14001 ISO Certificate on Environmental Management System. The production sharing contract between CPI and the Government of Indonesia expired in August 2002 Methods: .This case study describes how CPI managed the development  of oil and gas production and compared to  the environmental management system for  petroleum industries  that should be taken  in the Zamrud conservation areas. Results: A number of specific measures were employed by CPI  to protect this sensitive area including a green seismic project, zero-discharge drilling, water management, preservation of nature and regular monitoring and impact assessment. There are two  important points that should be in consideration  for the environmental management system by CPI in the Zamrud areas, including top soil utilization to maintain biological and nutrients quality and re-vegetation in all areas of significant disturbances. Conclusion: oil and gas  exploration and production in conservation areas has to be managed through high commitment to good environmental  and social practices. Key words     : Environmental Management System (EMS, Petroleum Industries, Zamrud Field

Institutional Sustainability Barriers of Community Conservation Agreement as a Collaboration Management in Lore Lindu National Park

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Sudirman Daeng Massiri

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The main problem of forest institutional arrangement is the issue of institutional sustainability in achieving sustainable forest ecosystem. This study aimed to explain the barriers of institutional sustainability Community Conservation Agreement (CCA designed in Lore Lindu National Park (LLNP, in Indonesia, as a collaborative management of national parks. This study is of descriptive which used qualitative approach, i.e. asking open-ended questions, reviewing documentation and analyzing textual of community conservation agreements. We found that the institutional sustainability barriers of CCA were the local decisions on collective-choice level and that the rules at operational level arranged in CCA were not in line with formal rules of national park management at the constitutional level. Furthermore, the low capacity of local institutions in heterogeneous villages with many migrants in controlling and regulating the forest use, especially in rehabilitation zone areas, also became a barrier to institutional sustainability of CCA. Therefore, institutional sustainability of CCA requires support of national park management policy that accommodates the sustainability of livelihoods of local communities in national parks, strengthening local institution's capacity, and ultimately integrating institution of CCA as part of LLNP management.

Strategic conservation planning for the Eastern North Carolina/Southeastern Virginia Strategic Habitat Conservation Team

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Alexander-Vaughn, Louise B.; Collazo, Jaime A.; Drew, C. Ashton

2014-01-01

The Eastern North Carolina/Southeastern Virginia Strategic Habitat Conservation Team (ENCSEVA) is a partnership among local federal agencies and programs with a mission to apply Strategic Habitat Conservation to accomplish priority landscape-level conservation within its geographic region. ENCSEVA seeks to further landscape-scale conservation through collaboration with local partners. To accomplish this mission, ENCSEVA is developing a comprehensive Strategic Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) to provide guidance for its members, partners, and collaborators by establishing mutual conservation goals, objectives, strategies, and metrics to gauge the success of conservation efforts. Identifying common goals allows the ENCSEVA team to develop strategies that leverage joint resources and are more likely to achieve desired impacts across the landscape. The Plan will also provide an approach for ENCSEVA to meet applied research needs (identify knowledge gaps), foster adaptive management principles, identify conservation priorities, prioritize threats (including potential impacts of climate change), and identify the required capacity to implement strategies to create more resilient landscapes. ENCSEVA seeks to support the overarching goals of the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) and to provide scientific and technical support for conservation at landscape scales as well as inform the management of natural resources in response to shifts in climate, habitat fragmentation and loss, and other landscape-level challenges (South Atlantic LCC 2012). The ENCSEVA ecoregion encompasses the northern third of the SALCC geography and offers a unique opportunity to apply landscape conservation at multiple scales through the guidance of local conservation and natural resource management efforts and by reporting metrics that reflect the effectiveness of those efforts (Figure 1). The Environmental Decision Analysis Team, housed within the North Carolina Cooperative

Letting the managers manage: analyzing capacity to conserve biodiversity in a cross-border protected area network

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Sarah Clement

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Biodiversity loss is one of the most significant drivers of ecosystem change and is projected to continue at a rapid rate. While protected areas, such as national parks, are seen as important refuges for biodiversity, their effectiveness in stemming biodiversity decline has been questioned. Public agencies have a critical role in the governance of many such areas, but there are tensions between the need for these agencies to be more "adaptive" and their current operating environment. Our aim is to analyze how institutions enable or constrain capacity to conserve biodiversity in a globally significant cross-border network of protected areas, the Australian Alps. Using a novel conceptual framework for diagnosing biodiversity institutions, our research examined institutional adaptive capacity and more general capacity for conserving biodiversity. Several intertwined issues limit public agencies' capacity to fulfill their conservation responsibilities. Narrowly defined accountability measures constrain adaptive capacity and divert attention away from addressing key biodiversity outcomes. Implications for learning were also evident, with protected area agencies demonstrating successful learning for on-ground issues but less success in applying this learning to deeper policy change. Poor capacity to buffer political and community influences in managing significant cross-border drivers of biodiversity decline signals poor fit with the institutional context and has implications for functional fit. While cooperative federalism provides potential benefits for buffering through diversity, it also means protected area agencies have restricted authority to address cross-border threats. Restrictions on staff authority and discretion, as public servants, have further implications for deploying capacity. This analysis, particularly the possibility of fostering "ambidexterity" - creatively responding to political pressures in a way that also achieves a desirable

KEYNOTE INVOLVEMENT OF GENETICS IN KNOWLEDGE, STOCK MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF AUSTROPOTAMOBIUS PALLIPES IN EUROPE

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SOUTY-GROSSET C.

2003-04-01

Full Text Available In the past, conservation programmes for a given species consisted in restoring the habitat and in translocating individuals without knowledge of their taxonomic status. Even if managers wanted to be informed, the “traditional taxonomy”, based on morphological characters, was discouraging because it could indicate several types of classification. This is the case for Austropotamobius pallipes, considered as a species complex. Today, conservation genetics aims to maintain, on one hand, the genetic specificity of populations (genetic integrity principle and, on the other hand, the genetic diversity within and between populations (biodiversity principle, these basic principles being considered both at the level of protection measures and management measures. As an endangered species, A. pallipes is subjected to a loss of genetic diversity, a result of deterioration of water quality responsible for habitat fragmentation, with populations being confined to headwaters of the catchments. Consequently a certain degree of genetic variability must be maintained within the species because it governs the adaptation potential: the populations must be capable of responding to new environmental conditions. In A. pallipes, recent studies from several countries attempt to first describe the distribution of the present natural populations and secondly, by studying mitochondrial DNA, to clarify the taxonomy (number and identification of the present species and subspecies by phylogenetic inferences and to assess the biogeographical history. These two preliminary steps are fundamental before defining conservation units and working at the catchment level, using highly polymorphic nuclear markers. The new approach has provided a good framework for research, with more frequent dialogues between geneticists and managers.

Evaluation of freshwater mussel relocation as a conservation and management strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Cope, W. Gregory; Waller, Diane L.

1995-01-01

The relocation of unionacean mussels is commonly used as a conservation and management tool in large rivers and streams. Relocation has been used to recolonize areas where mussel populations have been eliminated by prior pollution events, to remove mussels from construction zones and to re-establish populations of endangered species. More recently, relocation has been used to protect native freshwater mussels from colonization by the exotic zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha. We conducted a literature review of mussel relocations and evaluated their relative success as a conservation and management strategy. We found that 43% of all relocations were conducted because of construction projects that were forced to comply with the Endangered Species Act 1973 and that only 16% were monitored for five or more consecutive years. Most (43%) relocation projects were conducted from July to September, presumably a period when reproductive stress is relatively low for most species and the metabolic rate is sufficient for reburrowing in the substrate. The mortality of relocated mussels was unreported in 27% of projects; reported mortality varied widely among projects and species and was difficult to assess. The mean mortality of relocated mussels was 49% based on an average recovery rate of 43%. There is little guidance on the methods for relocation or for monitoring the subsequent long-term status of relocated mussels. Based on this evaluation, research is needed to develop criteria for selecting a suitable relocation site and to establish appropriate methods and guidelines for conducting relocation projects.

Operative and conservative management of primary gastric lymphoma: interim results of a German multicenter study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willich, Normann A.; Reinartz, Gabriele; Horst, Ekkehard J.; Delker, Georg; Reers, Berthold; Hiddemann, Wolfgang; Tiemann, Markus; Parwaresch, Reza; Grothaus-Pinke, Bernward; Kocik, Juergen; Koch, Peter

2000-01-01

Purpose/Objective: Biology and appropriate management of gastrointestinal (GI) lymphomas are matters of an ongoing controversial debate. To evaluate histological features, sites of involvement and management of primary GI-lymphomas, a prospective multicentric study was initiated in 10/1992. Aim of study was the further standardization of operative and conservative treatment modalities. Materials and Methods: Study started 10/1992 and was closed 11/1996. A total of 381 evaluable patients had been accrued then. Standardized diagnostic workup included endoscopic and radiological evaluation of the complete GI-tract as well as a central histological review. Diagnosis was established after Lewin, stage classification was made after Musshoff, and histological classification was made after Isaacson. Treatment decision concerning operative or conservative management was due to the initially acting physician. Patients with resection of low grade lymphoma received total abdominal irradiation 30 Gy + 10 Gy boost to incompletely resected areas. After resection of high grade lymphoma CHOP chemotherapy (4 cycles for stage IE, 6 cycles for higher stages) after McKelvy was followed by total abdominal irradiation 30 Gy for stage IE respectively involved field irradiation 30 Gy for higher stages with 10 Gy boost to incompletely resected areas. Primary conservative treatment consisted of six cycles COP chemotherapy after Bagley for low grade lymphomas stage >IE and total abdominal irradiation 30 Gy + 10 Gy boost to involved areas for all stages. Patients with high grade lymphomas received 4 x CHOP followed by total abdominal irradiation 30 Gy + 10 Gy boost to involved areas or 6 x CHOP plus involved field radiation therapy with 40 Gy. 257 patients are considered for analysis due to exclusion criteria of the study, 190 of them were suffered from gastric lymphoma. Their median observation time is 29 months, maximum observation time is 68 months. Results: Sites of involvement were

Managing consequences of climate-driven species redistribution requires integration of ecology, conservation and social science.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonebrake, Timothy C; Brown, Christopher J; Bell, Johann D; Blanchard, Julia L; Chauvenet, Alienor; Champion, Curtis; Chen, I-Ching; Clark, Timothy D; Colwell, Robert K; Danielsen, Finn; Dell, Anthony I; Donelson, Jennifer M; Evengård, Birgitta; Ferrier, Simon; Frusher, Stewart; Garcia, Raquel A; Griffis, Roger B; Hobday, Alistair J; Jarzyna, Marta A; Lee, Emma; Lenoir, Jonathan; Linnetved, Hlif; Martin, Victoria Y; McCormack, Phillipa C; McDonald, Jan; McDonald-Madden, Eve; Mitchell, Nicola; Mustonen, Tero; Pandolfi, John M; Pettorelli, Nathalie; Possingham, Hugh; Pulsifer, Peter; Reynolds, Mark; Scheffers, Brett R; Sorte, Cascade J B; Strugnell, Jan M; Tuanmu, Mao-Ning; Twiname, Samantha; Vergés, Adriana; Villanueva, Cecilia; Wapstra, Erik; Wernberg, Thomas; Pecl, Gretta T

2018-02-01

Climate change is driving a pervasive global redistribution of the planet's species. Species redistribution poses new questions for the study of ecosystems, conservation science and human societies that require a coordinated and integrated approach. Here we review recent progress, key gaps and strategic directions in this nascent research area, emphasising emerging themes in species redistribution biology, the importance of understanding underlying drivers and the need to anticipate novel outcomes of changes in species ranges. We highlight that species redistribution has manifest implications across multiple temporal and spatial scales and from genes to ecosystems. Understanding range shifts from ecological, physiological, genetic and biogeographical perspectives is essential for informing changing paradigms in conservation science and for designing conservation strategies that incorporate changing population connectivity and advance adaptation to climate change. Species redistributions present challenges for human well-being, environmental management and sustainable development. By synthesising recent approaches, theories and tools, our review establishes an interdisciplinary foundation for the development of future research on species redistribution. Specifically, we demonstrate how ecological, conservation and social research on species redistribution can best be achieved by working across disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement solutions to climate change challenges. Future studies should therefore integrate existing and complementary scientific frameworks while incorporating social science and human-centred approaches. Finally, we emphasise that the best science will not be useful unless more scientists engage with managers, policy makers and the public to develop responsible and socially acceptable options for the global challenges arising from species redistributions. © 2017 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Nature conservation and grazing management. Free-ranging cattle as a driving force for cyclic vegetation seccession

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bokdam, J.

2003-01-01

Key-words : biodiversity, herbivory, wilderness, non-linear dynamics, mosaic cycling, grassland, wood encroachment, forest, Bos taurus , Calluna vulgaris , Deschampsia flexuosa.This thesis examines the suitability of controlled and wilderness grazing as conservation management tool for open,

Impact of Canopy Openness on Spider Communities: Implications for Conservation Management of Formerly Coppiced Oak Forests.

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Ondřej Košulič

Full Text Available Traditional woodland management created a mosaic of differently aged patches providing favorable conditions for a variety of arthropods. After abandonment of historical ownership patterns and traditional management and the deliberate transformation to high forest after World War II, large forest areas became darker and more homogeneous. This had significant negative consequences for biodiversity. An important question is whether even small-scale habitat structures maintained by different levels of canopy openness in abandoned coppiced forest may constitute conditions suitable for forest as well as open habitat specialists. We investigated the effect of canopy openness in former traditionally coppiced woodlands on the species richness, functional diversity, activity density, conservation value, and degree of rareness of epigeic spiders. In each of the eight studied locations, 60-m-long transect was established consisting of five pitfall traps placed at regular 15 m intervals along the gradient. Spiders were collected from May to July 2012. We recorded 90 spider species, including high proportions of xeric specialists (40% and red-listed threatened species (26%. The peaks of conservation indicators, as well as spider community abundance, were shifted toward more open canopies. On the other hand, functional diversity peaked at more closed canopies followed by a rapid decrease with increasing canopy openness. Species richness was highest in the middle of the canopy openness gradient, suggesting an ecotone effect. Ordinations revealed that species of conservation concern tended to be associated with sparse and partly opened canopy. The results show that the various components of biodiversity peaked at different levels of canopy openness. Therefore, the restoration and suitable forest management of such conditions will retain important diversification of habitats in formerly coppiced oak forest stands. We indicate that permanent presence of small

Aligning science and policy to achieve evolutionarily enlightened conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Carly N; Sgrò, Carla M

2017-06-01

There is increasing recognition among conservation scientists that long-term conservation outcomes could be improved through better integration of evolutionary theory into management practices. Despite concerns that the importance of key concepts emerging from evolutionary theory (i.e., evolutionary principles and processes) are not being recognized by managers, there has been little effort to determine the level of integration of evolutionary theory into conservation policy and practice. We assessed conservation policy at 3 scales (international, national, and provincial) on 3 continents to quantify the degree to which key evolutionary concepts, such as genetic diversity and gene flow, are being incorporated into conservation practice. We also evaluated the availability of clear guidance within the applied evolutionary biology literature as to how managers can change their management practices to achieve better conservation outcomes. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of maintaining genetic diversity, conservation policies provide little guidance about how this can be achieved in practice and other relevant evolutionary concepts, such as inbreeding depression, are mentioned rarely. In some cases the poor integration of evolutionary concepts into management reflects a lack of decision-support tools in the literature. Where these tools are available, such as risk-assessment frameworks, they are not being adopted by conservation policy makers, suggesting that the availability of a strong evidence base is not the only barrier to evolutionarily enlightened management. We believe there is a clear need for more engagement by evolutionary biologists with policy makers to develop practical guidelines that will help managers make changes to conservation practice. There is also an urgent need for more research to better understand the barriers to and opportunities for incorporating evolutionary theory into conservation practice. © 2016 Society for Conservation

Policies for managing urban growth and landscape change: a key to conservation in the 21st century

Science.gov (United States)

David N., tech. ed. Bengston

2005-01-01

Protecting natural areas in the face of urbanization is one of the most important challenges for conservation in the 21st century. The papers in this collection examine key issues related to growth management and selected approaches to managing urban growth and minimizing its social and environmental costs. They were presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the Society...

The Middle Eastern Biodiversity Network: Generating and sharing knowledge for ecosystem management and conservation

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Friedhelm Krupp

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Despite prevailing arid conditions, the diversity of terrestrial and freshwater biota in the Middle East is amazingly high and marine biodiversity is the second highest on Earth. Throughout the region, threats to the environment are moderate to severe. Despite the outstanding economic and ecological importance of biological diversity, the capacity in biodiversity-related research and education is inadequate in most parts of the Middle East. The ";;Middle Eastern Biodiversity Network";; (MEBN, founded in 2006 by six universities and research institutes in Iran, Jordan, Germany, Lebanon and Yemen was designed to fill this gap. An integrated approach is taken to upgrade biodiversity research and education to improve regional ecosystem conservation and management capacities. A wide range of activities are carried out in the framework of the Network, including capacity building in biological collection management and professional natural history curatorship, developing university curricula in biodiversity, conducting scientific research, organising workshops and conferences on Middle Eastern biodiversity, and translating the results of biodiversity research into conservation and sustainable development.

Conserving tropical tree diversity and forest structure: the value of small rainforest patches in moderately-managed landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Ruedas, Manuel A; Arroyo-Rodríguez, Víctor; Meave, Jorge A; Martínez-Ramos, Miguel; Ibarra-Manríquez, Guillermo; Martínez, Esteban; Jamangapé, Gilberto; Melo, Felipe P L; Santos, Bráulio A

2014-01-01

Rainforests are undergoing severe deforestation and fragmentation worldwide. A huge amount of small forest patches are being created, but their value in conserving biodiversity and forest structure is still controversial. Here, we demonstrate that in a species-rich and moderately-managed Mexican tropical landscape small rainforest patches (<100 ha) can be highly valuable for the conservation of tree diversity and forest structure. These patches showed diverse communities of native plants, including endangered species, and a new record for the country. Although the number of logged trees increased in smaller patches, patch size was a poor indicator of basal area, stem density, number of species, genera and families, and community evenness. Cumulative species-area curves indicated that all patches had a similar contribution to the regional species diversity. This idea also was supported by the fact that patches strongly differed in floristic composition (high β-diversity), independently of patch size. Thus, in agreement with the land-sharing approach, our findings support that small forest patches in moderately-managed landscapes should be included in conservation initiatives to maintain landscape heterogeneity, species diversity, and ecosystem services.

Preventive conservation and management: contribution to a new integrated model, based on the case study of National Archive Torre do Tombo, Portugal

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Luís Filipe Raposo Pereira

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The development of a management model, in the preventive conservation area in the National Archive Torre do Tombo, included the identification of the specificities related to assessment and risk management methodology in Archives area/field and the definition of concepts and processes connected to management in that context. The present paper will focus on those contributions, particularly in the changes resulting by a new perspective in terms of management, based in the methodology defined by the AS/NZS 4360 standard. It also represents the end of the characterization of a process with two sequential phases, corresponding to the periods 2006-2007 and 2009-2013, which intention was to reinforce management assumptions in the preventive conservation field.

Conservation Through Different Lenses: Reflection, Responsibility, and the Politics of Participation in Conservation Advocacy

Science.gov (United States)

Abrash Walton, Abigail

2010-01-01

This essay considers the arenas of advocacy, politics, and self-reflection in strengthening conservation and resource management initiatives. It frames key questions that reflective conservation practitioners may address in seeking to enhance the results of conservation projects, including equity and more inclusive participation by nonprivileged groups. The essay touches on the importance of understanding conservation work within particular political and historic dynamics, including the need to understand non-Western and/or indigenous or traditional perspectives on conservation. The author makes the case that Western or privileged conservation practitioners are uniquely situated to advocate effectively for change.

The effect of scientific evidence on conservation practitioners’ management decisions

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Jessica C; Dicks, Lynn V; Sutherland, William J

2015-01-01

A major justification of environmental management research is that it helps practitioners, yet previous studies show it is rarely used to inform their decisions. We tested whether conservation practitioners focusing on bird management were willing to use a synopsis of relevant scientific literature to inform their management decisions. This allowed us to examine whether the limited use of scientific information in management is due to a lack of access to the scientific literature or whether it is because practitioners are either not interested or unable to incorporate the research into their decisions. In on-line surveys, we asked 92 conservation managers, predominantly from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, to provide opinions on 28 management techniques that could be applied to reduce predation on birds. We asked their opinions before and after giving them a summary of the literature about the interventions’ effectiveness. We scored the overall effectiveness and certainty of evidence for each intervention through an expert elicitation process—the Delphi method. We used the effectiveness scores to assess the practitioners’ level of understanding and awareness of the literature. On average, each survey participant changed their likelihood of using 45.7% of the interventions after reading the synopsis of the evidence. They were more likely to implement effective interventions and avoid ineffective actions, suggesting that their intended future management strategies may be more successful than current practice. More experienced practitioners were less likely to change their management practices than those with less experience, even though they were not more aware of the existing scientific information than less experienced practitioners. The practitioners’ willingness to change their management choices when provided with summarized scientific evidence suggests that improved accessibility to scientific information would benefit conservation

Identifying resource manager information needs for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Andrea; Liedtke, Theresa; Jenni, Karen

2014-01-01

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife and cultural resources in North America. LLCs were established by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) in recognition that response to climate change must be coordinated on a landscape-level basis because important resources, ecosystem processes and resource management challenges extend beyond national wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands, national parks, and even international boundaries. Therefore, DOI agencies must work with other Federal, State, Tribal (U.S. indigenous peoples), First Nation (Canadian indigenous peoples), and local governments, as well as private landowners, to develop landscape-level strategies for understanding and responding to climate change.

Evaluating local benefits from conservation in Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiteri, Arian; Nepal, Sanjay K

2008-09-01

Protected areas are integral to the global effort to conserve biodiversity, and, over the past two decades, protected area managers have begun to recognize that conservation objectives are next to impossible to achieve without considering the needs and concerns of local communities. Incentive-based programs (IBPs) have become a favored approach to protected area management, geared at fostering local stewardship by delivering benefits tied to conservation to local people. Effective IBPs require benefits to accrue to and be recognized by those experiencing the greatest consequences as a result of the protected area, and those likely to continue extractive activities if their livelihood needs are compromised. This research examines dispersal of IBP benefits, as perceived by local residents in Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area. Results reported here are based on questionnaire interviews with 188 households conducted between September and December 2004. Results indicate that local residents primarily identify benefits from social development activities, provisions for resource extraction, and economic opportunities. Overall, benefits have been dispersed equally to households in villages on and off the main tourist route, and regardless of a household's participation in tourism. However, benefits are not effectively targeted to poorer residents, those highly dependent on natural resources, and those experiencing the most crop damage and livestock loss from protected wildlife. This article provides several suggestions for improving the delivery of conservation incentives.

Perioperative coagulation management and blood conservation in cardiac surgery: a Canadian Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Taneja, Ravi; Fernandes, Philip; Marwaha, Gulshan; Cheng, Davy; Bainbridge, Daniel

2008-10-01

To determine which strategies are currently used for (anti)coagulation management and blood conservation during cardiac surgery in Canada. Institutional survey. University hospital. All sites performing cardiac surgery in Canada. None. The response rate was 85%. Anticoagulation with heparin is monitored routinely through the activated coagulation time (ACT). Less than 10% of centers use heparin concentrations (Hepcon HMS, Medtronic), thromboelastography, or other point-of-care tests perioperatively. Eighty percent of centers routinely use tranexamic acid as the primary antifibrinolytic agent; however aprotinin until recently, was used more commonly for patients at increased risk for bleeding. Retrograde autologous prime is commonly used (62%); however, cell savers are uncommon for routine patients undergoing cardiac surgery (29%). Although most hospitals use a hematocrit of 20% to 21% for transfusing red blood cells, more than 50% of intensive care units do not have written guidelines for the administration of protamine, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, or factor VIIa. At least one third of centers do not audit their transfusion practices regularly. The majority of Canadian institutions do not use point-of-care tests other than ACT. Most institutions do not have algorithms for management of bleeding following cardiac surgery and at least 30% do not monitor their transfusion practice perioperatively. Cardiac surgery patients in Canada may benefit from a standardized approach to blood conservation in the perioperative period.

Evaluating outcomes of management targeting the recovery of a migratory songbird of conservation concern.

Science.gov (United States)

Streby, Henry M; Kramer, Gunnar R; Peterson, Sean M; Andersen, David E

2018-01-01

Assessing outcomes of habitat management is critical for informing and adapting conservation plans. From 2013-2019, a multi-stage management initiative, led by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), aims to create >25,000 ha of shrubland and early-successional vegetation to benefit Golden-winged Warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ) in managed forested landscapes of the western Great Lakes region. We studied a dense breeding population of Golden-winged Warblers at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Minnesota, USA, where ABC initiative management was implemented to benefit the species. We monitored abundance before (2011-2014) and after (2015-2016) management, and we estimated full-season productivity (i.e., young recruited into the fall population) from predictive, spatially explicit models, informed by nest and fledgling survival data collected at sites in the western Great Lakes region, including Rice Lake NWR, during 2011 and 2012. Then, using biologically informed models of bird response to observed and predicted vegetation succession, we estimated the cumulative change in population recruitment over various scenarios of vegetation succession and demographic response. We observed an 32% decline in abundance of breeding pairs and estimated a 27% decline in per-pair full-season productivity following management, compared to no change in a nearby control site. In models that ranged from highly optimistic to progressively more realistic scenarios, we estimated a net loss of 72-460 juvenile Golden-winged Warblers produced from the managed site in the 10-20 years following management. Even if our well-informed and locally validated productivity models produced erroneous estimates and the management resulted in only a temporary reduction in abundance (i.e., no change in productivity), our forecast models still predicted a net loss of 137-260 juvenile Golden-winged Warblers from the managed area over the same time frame. Our study site represents only a small

Energy Conservation Guidebook : to be Used in Conjunction with the Energy Conservation Policies October 1993.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1993-11-01

This guidebook is an instrument for implementing BPA`s Energy Conservation Policies established through the concensus of the four Area Office Managers and the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Energy Resources. As technical support for, and elaboration of, the Energy Conservation Policies, the Guidebook follows the format of the Policies themselves. The Guidebook tackles each section of the Policies in order, again assigning roles and responsibilities where appropriate, enlarging on policy issues and, where appropriate, outlining data considerations. The sections in order are: conservation load reduction, cost-effectiveness limits, BA management targets, consumer contributions, utility contribution, program verification, and program evaluation.

Integrating Ecosystem Management, Protected Areas, and Mammal Conservation in the Brazilian Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Azevedo-Ramos

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The Amazon forest has been converted to a matrix of pristine and modified habitats. Landscape-scale biodiversity conservation requires an understanding of species' distributions over this matrix to guarantee both effective protection and use for present and future generations. In this study, we evaluated how much of the existing and future planned protected areas (PAs would be contributing to the conservation of Brazilian Amazon mammals (N = 399, including threatened species (N = 51. Currently, almost 37% of Brazilian Amazon is protected and that may increase to 46% if planned PAs are implemented. In the current PA system, 22% are indigenous land and 11% are sustainable use units, e.g., production forests. Only one-fifth of the whole range of mammal species occurring in Brazilian Amazon is actually protected by Brazilian PAs. However, considering only the part of the ranges within the Brazilian Amazon, and therefore under the scope of Brazilian actions, Brazilian PAs assume an important role in the protection of 39% of mammal distribution ranges, particularly the threatened species (39%. These results suggest that an integrated network of protected areas among Amazon countries would be necessary to increase their efficiency in mammal conservation. The need for strengthening of the forest sector and good management practices in Brazil appears critical for the maintenance of large extents of forest and species conservation. Under such a scenario, the contribution of developed nations and international agencies must assume an important role for the maintenance and enlargement of the protected area network in Amazon region.

Clinical course in infants diagnosed with transient tachypnea of newborn: A clinical trial assessing the role of conservative versus conventional management.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehdashtian, M; Aletayeb, M; Malakian, A; Aramesh, M R; Malvandi, H

2018-02-01

Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) is a respiratory disorder secondary to inadequate or delayed clearance of lung fluids. Early symptoms of the disease are indistinguishable from neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and persistent pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, these newborns, in addition to receiving conservative management, receive antibiotics until blood cultures provide definite results. In this study, we assessed the clinical course of neonates diagnosed with TTN who received conventional versus conservative management. One hundred and thirty neonates diagnosed as having TTN were randomly enrolled in two study groups. While patients belonging to one group received conservative management, those from the other group were treated with conventional medical therapy. Mean duration of hospitalization was 7 ± 0.2 in the conventional and 5 ± 1.5 in the conservative group. Duration of antibiotic therapy was 6.7 ± 2.47 days in the conventional group. Newborns diagnosed with TTN without prenatal risk factors and a negative C reactive protein test do not need to be administered antibiotics and hospitalized until confirmatory blood culture results are obtained. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.

Impact of biology knowledge on the conservation and management of large pelagic sharks

OpenAIRE

Yokoi, Hiroki; Ijima, Hirotaka; Ohshimo, Seiji; Yokawa, Kotaro

2017-01-01

Population growth rate, which depends on several biological parameters, is valuable information for the conservation and management of pelagic sharks, such as blue and shortfin mako sharks. However, reported biological parameters for estimating the population growth rates of these sharks differ by sex and display large variability. To estimate the appropriate population growth rate and clarify relationships between growth rate and relevant biological parameters, we developed a two-sex age-str...

Prioritization of strategies for protected area management with local people using the hybrid SWOT-AHP analysis: the case of Kakum conservation area, Ghana

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Raphael Foli Fiagbomeh

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The contribution of protected areas towards conservation and protection of biodiversity cannot be over emphasized. Likewise, the dependence of local communities on forest and natural resources cannot be overlooked. Hence for the long term viability of forest reserves and wildlife protected area, the relationship of local people living close to these areas are of key importance if conflict of use can be mitigated. Admittedly, decision-making with respect to forest resource use and protection are complex due to the multiple interests of the major stakeholders. Stakeholder involvement in the planning, management and policy analysis can help resolve conflicts, and increase the commitment of local people to support conservation of protected areas. In this paper, we employ the SWOT-AHP methodology, with the aid of the Priority Estimation Tool (PriEsT, to evaluate and prioritize three management strategies for the Kakum conservation area in Ghana, as a means to facilitate conservation while ensuring benefits to local people. Considering the management objectives of the conservation area, seventeen SWOT sub-factors were identified and used in rating the three alternative management strategies. Among the strength sub-factors, enforcement of protection regulations (S4 is the most important. Similarly, limited funds for patrolling and outreach programs (W3, local people’s interest in alternative livelihood (O4 and the presence of illegal activities (T3 are the most important weakness, opportunity and threat sub-factors respectively. The management strategy “institute village committees to support monitoring and protection of resources” (A1 has the highest priority rating, indicating that management authorities must pay more attention to collaborative management. We propose that to improve on protected area management in Ghana, more management strategy studies must be conducted. However, these studies may apply the fuzzy AHP technique since it is

Conservation genetics of Iberian raptors

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Martinez–Cruz, B.

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper I provide an overview of conservation genetics and describe the management actions in the wild that can benefit from conservation genetic studies. I describe the genetic factors of risk for the survival of wild species, the consequences of loss of genetic diversity, inbreeding and outbreeding depression, and the use of genetic tools to delimitate units of conservation. Then I introduce the most common applications of conservation genetics in the management of wild populations. In a second part of the paper I review the conservation genetic studies carried on the Iberian raptors. I introduce several studies on the Spanish imperial eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture and the red kite that were carried out using autosomal microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA sequencing. I describe studies on the lesser kestrel and Egyptian vulture that additionally applied major histocompatibility complex (MHC markers, with the purpose of incorporating the study of non–neutral variation. For every species I explain how these studies can be and/or are applied in the strategy of conservation in the wild.

Conservative management of CIN2: National Audit of British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology members' opinion.

Science.gov (United States)

Macdonald, Madeleine; Smith, John H F; Tidy, John A; Palmer, Julia E

2018-04-01

There is no doubt that organised cervical screening programmes have significantly reduced the rates of cervical cancer by detection and treatment of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2, CIN3). National UK guidelines do not differentiate between CIN2 and CIN3 as separate entities and recommend treatment for both, although a degree of uncertainty exists regarding the natural history of CIN2. This national survey of British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology members aimed to assess attitudes towards conservative management (CM) of CIN2 in the UK and identify potential selection criteria. In total, 511 members responded (response rate 32%); 55.6% offered CM for selective cases; 12.4% for all cases; 16.4% had formal guidelines. Most agreed age group was >40yrs (83%), HPV 16/18 positive (51.4%), smoking (60%), immuno-compromise (74.2%), and large lesion size (80.8%) were relative contraindications for CM. 75.9% favoured six-monthly monitoring, with 80.2% preferring excisional treatment for persistent high-grade disease. Many UK colposcopists manage CIN2 conservatively without formal guidelines. Potential selection criteria should be investigated by a multicentre study. Impact statement Although anecdotally some colposcopists manage many women with CIN2 conservatively, this National Audit of British Society for Colposcopy and Cytopathology members, we believe, is the first time this has been formally recorded. The survey assesses current attitudes towards conservative management (CM) of CIN2 and seeks to identify potential selection criteria that could be used to identify suitable women. It received over 500 responses and significantly, identified many colposcopists recommending CM of CIN2 for patients despite the lack of any formal guidance regarding this approach. The greater majority of respondents were keen to consider participating in a multicentre trial on CM of CIN2 targeting the UK screening population (25-64 years). The paper has

Conservative Management of Central Cemento-Ossifying Fibroma.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes-Ferreira, Pedro Henrique Silva; Carrasco, Leandro Carlos; de Oliveira, Danila; Pereira, Járede Carvalho; Alcalde, Luis Fernando Azambuja; Faverani, Leonardo Perez

2017-01-01

Central cemento-ossifying fibroma is characterized by the combined production of osteoid and cementoid tissue. Radiographically, this lesion is presented as an outlined cortical and variable radiopaque spots, also can be present complete radiolucent or different degrees of radiopacity. The recommended treatment is curettage or enucleation, and the recurrence rate is less than 5%. Considering that surgical treatment is invasive, mainly in large lesions, this study aims to report a patient in whom conservative treatment was carried out by involving the preservation of teeth, with a long-term follow-up. A 48-year-old black female patient, diagnosed with central cemento-ossifying fibroma in mandible, treated conservatively and a 2 years of follow-up. It was concluded that the conservative treatment with a long term of follow-up for maintaining teeth was satisfactory.

New findings and setting the research agenda for soil and water conservation for sustainable land management

Science.gov (United States)

Keesstra, Saskia; Argaman, Eli; Gomez, Jose Alfonso; Quinton, John

2014-05-01

The session on soil and water conservation for sustainable land management provides insights into the current research producing viable measures for sustainable land management and enhancing the lands role as provider of ecosystem services. The insights into degradation processes are essential for designing and implementing feasible measures to mitigate against degradation of the land resource and adapt to the changing environment. Land degradation occurs due to multiple pressures on the land, such as population growth, land-use and land-cover changes, climate change and over exploitation of resources, often resulting in soil erosion due to water and wind, which occurs in many parts of the world. Understanding the processes of soil erosion by wind and water and the social and economic constraints faced by farmers forms an essential component of integrated land development projects. Soil and water conservation measures are only viable and sustainable if local environmental and socio-economic conditions are taken into account and proper enabling conditions and policies can be achieved. Land degradation increasingly occurs because land use, and farming systems are subject to rapid environmental and socio-economic changes without implementation of appropriate soil and water conservation technologies. Land use and its management are thus inextricably bound up with development; farmers must adapt in order to sustain the quality of their, and their families, lives. In broader perspective, soil and water conservation is needed as regulating ecosystem service and as a tool to enhance food security and biodiversity. Since land degradation occurs in many parts of the world and threatens food production and environmental stability it affects those countries with poorer soils and resilience in the agriculture sector first. Often these are the least developed countries. Therefore the work from researchers from developing countries together with knowledge from other disciplines

The application of real-time, non-destructive electrical tomographic imaging to heritage conservation

OpenAIRE

Ogilvy, Richard

2008-01-01

Significant advances have been made in recent times with the non-invasive electrical tomographic imaging of the shallow subsurface. These emerging technologies are analogous to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scans used in medical physics. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is increasingly used to underpin studies in waste management, contaminated land characterisation and remediation, monitoring groundwater resources and the monitoring of geohazards or safety-critical plant. Ther...

The mass remote sensing image data management based on Oracle InterMedia

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xi'an; Shi, Shaowei

2013-07-01

With the development of remote sensing technology, getting the image data more and more, how to apply and manage the mass image data safely and efficiently has become an urgent problem to be solved. According to the methods and characteristics of the mass remote sensing image data management and application, this paper puts forward to a new method that takes Oracle Call Interface and Oracle InterMedia to store the image data, and then takes this component to realize the system function modules. Finally, it successfully takes the VC and Oracle InterMedia component to realize the image data storage and management.

Corals, Canyons, and Conservation: Science Based Fisheries Management Decisions in the Eastern Bering Sea

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Steve A. MacLean

2017-05-01

Full Text Available When making science matter for conservation, marine conservation practitioners, and managers must be prepared to make the appropriate decision based on the results of the best available science used to inform it. For nearly a decade, many stakeholders encouraged the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to enact protections for deep-sea corals in several canyons in the Eastern Bering Sea slope. In 2014, at the request of the Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center conducted a strip-transect survey along the Eastern Bering Sea slope to validate the results of a model predicting the occurrence of deep-sea coral habitat. More than 250,000 photos were analyzed to estimate coral, sponge, and sea whip abundance, distribution, height, and vulnerability to anthropogenic damage. The results of the survey confirmed that coral habitat and occurrence was concentrated around Pribilof Canyon and the adjacent slope. The results also confirmed that the densities of corals in the Eastern Bering Sea were low, even where they occurred. After reviewing the best available scientific information, the Council concluded that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that deep-sea corals in the Eastern Bering Sea slope or canyons are at risk from commercial fisheries under the current management structure, and that special protections for deep-sea corals were not warranted.

Predictors of Outcome in Conservative and Minimally Invasive Surgical Management of Pain Originating From the Sacroiliac Joint

Science.gov (United States)

Dengler, Julius; Duhon, Bradley; Whang, Peter; Frank, Clay; Glaser, John; Sturesson, Bengt; Garfin, Steven; Cher, Daniel; Rendahl, Aaron; Polly, David

2017-01-01

Study Design. A pooled patient-level analysis of two multicenter randomized controlled trials and one multicenter single-arm prospective trial. Objective. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of outcome of conservative and minimally invasive surgical management of pain originating from the sacroiliac joint (SIJ). Summary of Background Data. Three recently published prospective trials have shown that minimally invasive SIJ fusion (SIJF) using triangular titanium implants produces better outcomes than conservative management for patients with pain originating from the SIJ. Due to limitations in individual trial sample size, analyses of predictors of treatment outcome were not conducted. Methods. We pooled individual patient data from the three trials and used random effects models with multivariate regression analysis to identify predictors for treatment outcome separately for conservative and minimally invasive surgical treatment. Outcome was measured using visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and EuroQOL-5D (EQ-5D). Results. We included 423 patients assigned to either nonsurgical management (NSM, n = 97) or SIJF (n = 326) between 2013 and 2015. The reduction in SIJ pain was 37.9 points larger [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 32.5–43.4, P < 0.0001] in the SIJF group than in the NSM group. Similarly, the improvement in ODI was 18.3 points larger (95% CI 14.3–22.4), P < 0.0001). In NSM, we found no predictors of outcome. In SIJF, a reduced improvement in outcome was predicted by smoking (P = 0.030), opioid use (P = 0.017), lower patient age (P = 0.008), and lower duration of SIJ pain (P = 0.028). Conclusions. Our results support the view that SIJF leads to better treatment outcome than conservative management of SIJ pain and that a higher margin of improvement can be predicted in nonsmokers, nonopioid users, and patients of increased age and with longer pain duration. Level of Evidence: 1 PMID

To what extent do potential conservation donors value community-aspects of conservation projects in low income countries?

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Richard P.; Gibbons, James M.; Jones, Julia P. G.

2018-01-01

There is a major gap in funding required for conservation, especially in low income countries. Given the significant contribution of taxpayers in industrialized countries to funding conservation overseas, and donations from membership organisation, understanding the preferences of ordinary people in a high income country for different attributes of conservation projects is valuable for future marketing of conservation. We conducted a discrete choice experiment with visitors to a UK zoo, while simultaneously conducting a revealed preference study through a real donation campaign on the same sample. Respondents showed the highest willingness to pay for projects that have local community involvement in management (95% confidence interval £9.82 to £15.83), and for improvement in threatened species populations (£2.97 - £13.87). Both of these were significantly larger than the willingness to pay for projects involving provision of alternative livelihoods, or improving the condition of conservation sites. Results of the simultaneous donation campaign showed that respondents were very willing to donate the suggested £1 or above donation (88% made a donation, n = 1798); there was no effect of which of the two campaigns they were exposed to (threatened species management or community involvement in management). The small number of people who did not make a donation had a higher stated willingness to pay within the choice experiment, which may suggest hypothetical bias. Conservationists increasingly argue that conservation should include local communities in management (for both pragmatic and moral reasons). It is heartening that potential conservation donors seem to agree. PMID:29451923

Advances in Imaging and Management Trends of Traumatic Aortic Injuries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagpal, Prashant, E-mail: drprashantnagpal@gmail.com, E-mail: Prashant-nagpal@uiowa.edu; Mullan, Brian F. [University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Radiology (United States); Sen, Indrani [Mayo Clinic, Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (United States); Saboo, Sachin S. [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Radiology (United States); Khandelwal, Ashish [Mayo Clinic, Department of Radiology (United States)

2017-05-15

Acute traumatic aortic injury (ATAI) is a life-threatening injury. CT is the imaging tool of choice, and the knowledge of direct and indirect signs of injury, grading system, and current management protocol helps the emergency radiologist to better identify and classify the injury and provide additional details that can impact management options. Newer dual-source CT technology with ultrafast acquisition speed has also influenced the appropriate protocol for imaging in patients with suspected ATAI. This review highlights the imaging protocol in patients with blunt trauma, CT appearance and grading systems of ATAI, management options, and the role of the multidisciplinary team in the management of these patients. We also briefly review the current literature on the definition, treatment, and follow-up protocol in patients with minimal aortic injury.

Advances in Imaging and Management Trends of Traumatic Aortic Injuries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagpal, Prashant; Mullan, Brian F.; Sen, Indrani; Saboo, Sachin S.; Khandelwal, Ashish

2017-01-01

Acute traumatic aortic injury (ATAI) is a life-threatening injury. CT is the imaging tool of choice, and the knowledge of direct and indirect signs of injury, grading system, and current management protocol helps the emergency radiologist to better identify and classify the injury and provide additional details that can impact management options. Newer dual-source CT technology with ultrafast acquisition speed has also influenced the appropriate protocol for imaging in patients with suspected ATAI. This review highlights the imaging protocol in patients with blunt trauma, CT appearance and grading systems of ATAI, management options, and the role of the multidisciplinary team in the management of these patients. We also briefly review the current literature on the definition, treatment, and follow-up protocol in patients with minimal aortic injury.

Advances in Imaging and Management Trends of Traumatic Aortic Injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, Prashant; Mullan, Brian F; Sen, Indrani; Saboo, Sachin S; Khandelwal, Ashish

2017-05-01

Acute traumatic aortic injury (ATAI) is a life-threatening injury. CT is the imaging tool of choice, and the knowledge of direct and indirect signs of injury, grading system, and current management protocol helps the emergency radiologist to better identify and classify the injury and provide additional details that can impact management options. Newer dual-source CT technology with ultrafast acquisition speed has also influenced the appropriate protocol for imaging in patients with suspected ATAI. This review highlights the imaging protocol in patients with blunt trauma, CT appearance and grading systems of ATAI, management options, and the role of the multidisciplinary team in the management of these patients. We also briefly review the current literature on the definition, treatment, and follow-up protocol in patients with minimal aortic injury.

Science priorities for seamounts: research links to conservation and management.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malcolm R Clark

Full Text Available Seamounts shape the topography of all ocean basins and can be hotspots of biological activity in the deep sea. The Census of Marine Life on Seamounts (CenSeam was a field program that examined seamounts as part of the global Census of Marine Life (CoML initiative from 2005 to 2010. CenSeam progressed seamount science by collating historical data, collecting new data, undertaking regional and global analyses of seamount biodiversity, mapping species and habitat distributions, challenging established paradigms of seamount ecology, developing new hypotheses, and documenting the impacts of human activities on seamounts. However, because of the large number of seamounts globally, much about the structure, function and connectivity of seamount ecosystems remains unexplored and unknown. Continual, and potentially increasing, threats to seamount resources from fishing and seabed mining are creating a pressing demand for research to inform conservation and management strategies. To meet this need, intensive science effort in the following areas will be needed: 1 Improved physical and biological data; of particular importance is information on seamount location, physical characteristics (e.g. habitat heterogeneity and complexity, more complete and intensive biodiversity inventories, and increased understanding of seamount connectivity and faunal dispersal; 2 New human impact data; these shall encompass better studies on the effects of human activities on seamount ecosystems, as well as monitoring long-term changes in seamount assemblages following impacts (e.g. recovery; 3 Global data repositories; there is a pressing need for more comprehensive fisheries catch and effort data, especially on the high seas, and compilation or maintenance of geological and biodiversity databases that underpin regional and global analyses; 4 Application of support tools in a data-poor environment; conservation and management will have to increasingly rely on predictive

Science priorities for seamounts: research links to conservation and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Malcolm R; Schlacher, Thomas A; Rowden, Ashley A; Stocks, Karen I; Consalvey, Mireille

2012-01-01

Seamounts shape the topography of all ocean basins and can be hotspots of biological activity in the deep sea. The Census of Marine Life on Seamounts (CenSeam) was a field program that examined seamounts as part of the global Census of Marine Life (CoML) initiative from 2005 to 2010. CenSeam progressed seamount science by collating historical data, collecting new data, undertaking regional and global analyses of seamount biodiversity, mapping species and habitat distributions, challenging established paradigms of seamount ecology, developing new hypotheses, and documenting the impacts of human activities on seamounts. However, because of the large number of seamounts globally, much about the structure, function and connectivity of seamount ecosystems remains unexplored and unknown. Continual, and potentially increasing, threats to seamount resources from fishing and seabed mining are creating a pressing demand for research to inform conservation and management strategies. To meet this need, intensive science effort in the following areas will be needed: 1) Improved physical and biological data; of particular importance is information on seamount location, physical characteristics (e.g. habitat heterogeneity and complexity), more complete and intensive biodiversity inventories, and increased understanding of seamount connectivity and faunal dispersal; 2) New human impact data; these shall encompass better studies on the effects of human activities on seamount ecosystems, as well as monitoring long-term changes in seamount assemblages following impacts (e.g. recovery); 3) Global data repositories; there is a pressing need for more comprehensive fisheries catch and effort data, especially on the high seas, and compilation or maintenance of geological and biodiversity databases that underpin regional and global analyses; 4) Application of support tools in a data-poor environment; conservation and management will have to increasingly rely on predictive modelling

Science Priorities for Seamounts: Research Links to Conservation and Management

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Malcolm R.; Schlacher, Thomas A.; Rowden, Ashley A.; Stocks, Karen I.; Consalvey, Mireille

2012-01-01

Seamounts shape the topography of all ocean basins and can be hotspots of biological activity in the deep sea. The Census of Marine Life on Seamounts (CenSeam) was a field program that examined seamounts as part of the global Census of Marine Life (CoML) initiative from 2005 to 2010. CenSeam progressed seamount science by collating historical data, collecting new data, undertaking regional and global analyses of seamount biodiversity, mapping species and habitat distributions, challenging established paradigms of seamount ecology, developing new hypotheses, and documenting the impacts of human activities on seamounts. However, because of the large number of seamounts globally, much about the structure, function and connectivity of seamount ecosystems remains unexplored and unknown. Continual, and potentially increasing, threats to seamount resources from fishing and seabed mining are creating a pressing demand for research to inform conservation and management strategies. To meet this need, intensive science effort in the following areas will be needed: 1) Improved physical and biological data; of particular importance is information on seamount location, physical characteristics (e.g. habitat heterogeneity and complexity), more complete and intensive biodiversity inventories, and increased understanding of seamount connectivity and faunal dispersal; 2) New human impact data; these shall encompass better studies on the effects of human activities on seamount ecosystems, as well as monitoring long-term changes in seamount assemblages following impacts (e.g. recovery); 3) Global data repositories; there is a pressing need for more comprehensive fisheries catch and effort data, especially on the high seas, and compilation or maintenance of geological and biodiversity databases that underpin regional and global analyses; 4) Application of support tools in a data-poor environment; conservation and management will have to increasingly rely on predictive modelling

Conservation and Management of Archaeological Monuments and Sites in Greece and Turkey: A Value-Based Approach to Anastylosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalliopi Vacharopoulou

2005-11-01

Full Text Available Heritage management and monument conservation play a significant role in the preservation of archaeological heritage. Anastylosis, a process with a long history in the Mediterranean region, is discussed with relevance to current debates concentrating on concepts of value-based approaches. Examination of the diverse values that may be attributed to monuments provides an insight into the evolution of ideas in heritage management, conservation and restoration practices. In the current theoretical framework the concept of values, as attributed by all stakeholders, and its application when preserving archaeological heritage, are constantly debated. The participation of stakeholders in the process of value identification is considered fundamental by heritage management experts. This paper presents the findings of a survey conducted to collect the opinions of anastylosis and restoration professionals, with reference to case studies on a number of monuments subjected to anastylosis in Greece and Turkey, highlighting the importance of assessing values in order to establish the appropriate type and extent of intervention. The paper concludes that a value-based approach to decision-making and planning for anastylosis, or any other form of architectural conservation, is crucial for preserving monuments in a way that satisfies those who want to experience and benefit from heritage.

Energy conservation and management plan for plant facilities at the Livermore site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ng, W.; Szybalski, S.; Kerr, W. H.; Meyer, H. J.

1976-03-15

An energy conservation and management plan for the Livermore site of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is presented. The plan defines the energy-conservation goals for the next 10 years and proposes the ways and means of attaining them. The main features contained in this plan are as follows: development of the criteria and underlying assumptions required for long range planning, including energy growth rates and the case for using the concept of the technical-fix energy growth rate, LLL energy outlook and fuel cost projections, and life-cycle-cost criteria; targets of the long-range plan include between 1975 and 1985, an annual energy usage growth equal to 5.8 percent of the 1975 energy consumption, 1985 and thereafter, zero energy growth, a change from the current dependence on natural gas to the use of other fuels for heating, and a doubling of the 30-day strategic oil storage capacity; and cost schedule for the next 10 years.

Post-adoption behaviour of farmers towards soil and water conservation technologies of watershed management in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gopal Lal Bagdi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC and its Research Centres have developed many successful model watershed projects in India in the past and implemented many Soil and Water Conservation (SWC technologies for sustainable watershed management. While many evaluation studies were conducted on these projects in the past, there has been no assessment of the post-adoption status of the SWC technologies over a longer period. It was imperative to appraise the behaviour of the farmers with regard to the continuance or discontinuance of the technologies adopted, diffusion or infusion that took place and technological gaps that occurred in due course of time in the post watershed programme. Therefore, it was realized that the post-adoption behaviour of beneficiary farmers who have adopted different soil and water conservation technologies for watershed management projects should be studied in detail. The research study was initiated in 2012 as a core project at Vasad as the lead Centre along with IISWC headquarter Dehradun, and Centres Agra, Bellary, Chandigarh, Datia, Kota & Ooty, with the specific objectives of the study to measure the extent of post-adoption behaviour (continued-adoption, discontinuance, technological gap, diffusion and infusion of farmers towards the adopted SWC technologies of watershed management. In the present study various indices regarding continued adoption, dis-adoption (discontinuance, technological gap, diffusion, infusion regarding soil and water conservation technologies for watershed management were developed for measurement of post-adoption behaviour of farmers. It was revealed that a little less than three-fourth (73% of SWC technologies continued to be adopted and more than one-fourth (27% were discontinued by farmers. Out of the total continue adopted SWC technologies by farmers, a little less than one-fifth (19% of technologies continued to be adopted with a technological gap. More than one

Success stories and emerging themes in conservation physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Madliger, Christine L.; Cooke, Steven J.; Crespi, Erica J.; Funk, Jennifer L.; Hultine, Kevin R.; Hunt, Kathleen E.; Rohr, Jason R.; Sinclair, Brent J.; Suski, Cory D.; Willis, Craig K. R.; Love, Oliver P.

2016-01-01

The potential benefits of physiology for conservation are well established and include greater specificity of management techniques, determination of cause–effect relationships, increased sensitivity of health and disturbance monitoring and greater capacity for predicting future change. While descriptions of the specific avenues in which conservation and physiology can be integrated are readily available and important to the continuing expansion of the discipline of ‘conservation physiology’, to date there has been no assessment of how the field has specifically contributed to conservation success. However, the goal of conservation physiology is to foster conservation solutions and it is therefore important to assess whether physiological approaches contribute to downstream conservation outcomes and management decisions. Here, we present eight areas of conservation concern, ranging from chemical contamination to invasive species to ecotourism, where physiological approaches have led to beneficial changes in human behaviour, management or policy. We also discuss the shared characteristics of these successes, identifying emerging themes in the discipline. Specifically, we conclude that conservation physiology: (i) goes beyond documenting change to provide solutions; (ii) offers a diversity of physiological metrics beyond glucocorticoids (stress hormones); (iii) includes approaches that are transferable among species, locations and times; (iv) simultaneously allows for human use and benefits to wildlife; and (v) is characterized by successes that can be difficult to find in the primary literature. Overall, we submit that the field of conservation physiology has a strong foundation of achievements characterized by a diversity of conservation issues, taxa, physiological traits, ecosystem types and spatial scales. We hope that these concrete successes will encourage the continued evolution and use of physiological tools within conservation-based research and

Success stories and emerging themes in conservation physiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Madliger, Christine L; Cooke, Steven J; Crespi, Erica J; Funk, Jennifer L; Hultine, Kevin R; Hunt, Kathleen E; Rohr, Jason R; Sinclair, Brent J; Suski, Cory D; Willis, Craig K R; Love, Oliver P

2016-01-01

The potential benefits of physiology for conservation are well established and include greater specificity of management techniques, determination of cause-effect relationships, increased sensitivity of health and disturbance monitoring and greater capacity for predicting future change. While descriptions of the specific avenues in which conservation and physiology can be integrated are readily available and important to the continuing expansion of the discipline of 'conservation physiology', to date there has been no assessment of how the field has specifically contributed to conservation success. However, the goal of conservation physiology is to foster conservation solutions and it is therefore important to assess whether physiological approaches contribute to downstream conservation outcomes and management decisions. Here, we present eight areas of conservation concern, ranging from chemical contamination to invasive species to ecotourism, where physiological approaches have led to beneficial changes in human behaviour, management or policy. We also discuss the shared characteristics of these successes, identifying emerging themes in the discipline. Specifically, we conclude that conservation physiology: (i) goes beyond documenting change to provide solutions; (ii) offers a diversity of physiological metrics beyond glucocorticoids (stress hormones); (iii) includes approaches that are transferable among species, locations and times; (iv) simultaneously allows for human use and benefits to wildlife; and (v) is characterized by successes that can be difficult to find in the primary literature. Overall, we submit that the field of conservation physiology has a strong foundation of achievements characterized by a diversity of conservation issues, taxa, physiological traits, ecosystem types and spatial scales. We hope that these concrete successes will encourage the continued evolution and use of physiological tools within conservation-based research and management

CT of jejunal diverticulitis: imaging findings, differential diagnosis, and clinical management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macari, M.; Faust, M.; Liang, H.; Pachter, H.L.

2007-01-01

Aim: To describe the imaging findings of jejunal diverticulitis as depicted at contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and review the differential diagnosis and clinical management. Materials and Methods: CT and pathology databases were searched for the diagnosis of jejunal diverticulitis. Three cases were identified and the imaging and clinical findings correlated. Results: Jejunal diverticulitis presents as a focal inflammatory mass involving the proximal small bowel. A trial of medical management with antibiotics may be attempted. Surgical resection may be required if medical management is unsuccessful. Conclusion: The imaging findings at MDCT may allow a specific diagnosis of jejunal diverticulitis to be considered and may affect the clinical management of the patient

Impact of biology knowledge on the conservation and management of large pelagic sharks.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoi, Hiroki; Ijima, Hirotaka; Ohshimo, Seiji; Yokawa, Kotaro

2017-09-06

Population growth rate, which depends on several biological parameters, is valuable information for the conservation and management of pelagic sharks, such as blue and shortfin mako sharks. However, reported biological parameters for estimating the population growth rates of these sharks differ by sex and display large variability. To estimate the appropriate population growth rate and clarify relationships between growth rate and relevant biological parameters, we developed a two-sex age-structured matrix population model and estimated the population growth rate using combinations of biological parameters. We addressed elasticity analysis and clarified the population growth rate sensitivity. For the blue shark, the estimated median population growth rate was 0.384 with a range of minimum and maximum values of 0.195-0.533, whereas those values of the shortfin mako shark were 0.102 and 0.007-0.318, respectively. The maturity age of male sharks had the largest impact for blue sharks, whereas that of female sharks had the largest impact for shortfin mako sharks. Hypotheses for the survival process of sharks also had a large impact on the population growth rate estimation. Both shark maturity age and survival rate were based on ageing validation data, indicating the importance of validating the quality of these data for the conservation and management of large pelagic sharks.

A cost analysis of conservative management of spinal cord-injured patients in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawu, A A; Olawepo, A; Salami, A O O; Kuranga, S A; Abdulhameed, S; Esenwah, V C

2011-11-01

A prospective study. To determine the cost of acute phase of injury (ASCI) among spinal cord-injured patients managed conservatively in Nigeria. Gwagwalada, Abuja. Over a 1-year period (1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009), the cost of ASCI of consecutive spinal cord-injured patients, gainfully employed preinjury, who paid the hospital bill directly from their purses and could estimate their daily income, and who were managed conservatively for 6 weeks before discharge to rehabilitation, was prospectively examined. A total of 34 cases of spinal cord-injured patients with a mean age of 35.4 ± 12.8 years were included in this study. The mean cost of ASCI over 6 weeks was $1598.29, an average of 6.4-232.8% of patients' annual income where >50% of the people live on less than a dollar a day. The mean cost of hospitalization was 14.9% of the total cost of ASCI in this study. It was significantly more expensive to treat tetraplegics compared with paraplegics. This study identified the cost of acute phase of spinal cord injury in Nigeria to assist clinicians in planning treatment that could reduce financial burden on the patients but optimize patients' care.

The selective conservative management of small traumatic pneumothoraces following stab injuries is safe: experience from a high-volume trauma service in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, V Y; Oosthuizen, G V; Clarke, D L

2015-02-01

The selective conservative management of small pneumothoraces (PTXs) following stab injuries is controversial. We reviewed a cohort of patients managed conservatively in a high volume trauma service in South Africa. A retrospective review over a 2-year period identified 125 asymptomatic patients with small PTXs measuring chest radiograph who were managed conservatively. Of the 125 patients included in the study, 92% were male (115/125), and the median age for all patients was 21 years (19-24). Ninety-seven per cent (121/125) of the weapons involved were knives, and 3% (4/125) were screwdrivers. Sixty-one per cent of all injuries were on the left side. Eighty-two per cent (102/125) sustained a single stab, and 18% (23/125) had multiple stabs. Thirty-nine per cent (49/125) had a PTX <0.5 cm (Group A), 26% (32/125) were ≥ 0.5 to <1 cm (Group B), 19% (24/125) were ≥ 1 to <1.5 cm (Group C) and 15% (20/125) were ≥ 1.5 to <2 cm (Group D). Three per cent of all patients (4/125) eventually required ICDs (one in Group C, three in Group D). All four patients had ICDs in situ for 24 h. The remaining 97% (121/125) were all managed successfully by active clinical observation alone. There were no subsequent readmissions, morbidity or mortality as a direct result of our conservative approach. The selective conservative management of asymptomatic small PTXs from stab injuries is safe if undertaken in the appropriate setting.

Local understandings of conservation in southeastern Mexico and their implications for community-based conservation as an alternative paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes-Garcia, Victoria; Ruiz-Mallen, Isabel; Porter-Bolland, Luciana; Garcia-Frapolli, Eduardo; Ellis, Edward A; Mendez, Maria-Elena; Pritchard, Diana J; Sanchez-Gonzalez, María-Consuelo

2013-08-01

Since the 1990s national and international programs have aimed to legitimize local conservation initiatives that might provide an alternative to the formal systems of state-managed or otherwise externally driven protected areas. We used discourse analysis (130 semistructured interviews with key informants) and descriptive statistics (679 surveys) to compare local perceptions of and experiences with state-driven versus community-driven conservation initiatives. We conducted our research in 6 communities in southeastern Mexico. Formalization of local conservation initiatives did not seem to be based on local knowledge and practices. Although interviewees thought community-based initiatives generated less conflict than state-managed conservation initiatives, the community-based initiatives conformed to the biodiversity conservation paradigm that emphasizes restricted use of and access to resources. This restrictive approach to community-based conservation in Mexico, promoted through state and international conservation organizations, increased the area of protected land and had local support but was not built on locally relevant and multifunctional landscapes, a model that community-based conservation is assumed to advance. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Management of formation of image of Lithuanian countryside

OpenAIRE

Atkočiūnienė, Vilma; Boculo, Irina

2011-01-01

Image formation of country­side is part of a regional image itself; it includes all general country­side development areas. Image formation of country­side is based on the efforts made by different concerned actors and their additional initiative; consequently, the core activity of the above process is management. The investigation is aimed at the analysis of theoretical constituent actors assign ed to the process of development of country­side, at the identification of country­side image ele...

Conservative therapeutic management of carpal tunnel syndrome

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Roberto Sérgio Martins

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most prevalent nerve compression and can be clinically or surgically treated. In most cases, the first therapeutic alternative is conservative treatment but there is still much controversy regarding the most effective modality of this treatment. In this study, we critically evaluated the options of conservative treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, aiming to guide the reader through the conventional options used in this therapy.

Gynecologic radiation therapy. Novel approaches to image-guidance and management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viswanathan, Akila N. [Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Kirisits, Christian; Poetter, Richard (eds.) [Vienna General Hospital Medical Univ. (Austria). Dept. of Radiotherapy; Erickson, Beth E. [Medical College of Wisconsin Clinics Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

2011-07-01

Recent advances in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies led to a new worldwide consensus to introduce image guidance to gynecologic radiation therapy, particularly to brachytherapy. The book summarizes the changed practice of management: treatment planning for cervical cancer, not modified for over 60 years, has been shifted to an image-based approach, endometrial cancer management with an increase in the use of chemotherapy and vaginal brachytherapy, and vaginal cancer therapy including image guidance and high-dose delivery with IMRT. (orig.)

Conservative management of a grade V injury to an ectopic pelvic kidney following blunt trauma to the lower abdomen: a case report

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Becker Adam M

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Ectopic pelvic kidneys represent an anatomic variant that remains clinically asymptomatic in most patients. While there is some literature to suggest that ectopic kidneys may be more predisposed to blunt trauma injuries, there are few examples to guide the management of these injuries. To our knowledge, we present the first case of a grade V renal injury to an ectopic pelvic kidney managed successfully with conservative measures. Case Presentation We present a case of grade V renal injury to an ectopic pelvic kidney in a 21 year-old African-American male. The clinical and radiographic findings are presented, along with the patient's conservative hospital course. Conclusion We suggest that management of grade V renal injuries to ectopic pelvic kidneys can be treated similarly to that of kidneys in normal anatomic position. Conservative measures may be considered in properly selected patients.

Evaluating outcomes of management targeting the recovery of a migratory songbird of conservation concern

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Henry M. Streby

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background Assessing outcomes of habitat management is critical for informing and adapting conservation plans. From 2013–2019, a multi-stage management initiative, led by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC, aims to create >25,000 ha of shrubland and early-successional vegetation to benefit Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera in managed forested landscapes of the western Great Lakes region. We studied a dense breeding population of Golden-winged Warblers at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR in Minnesota, USA, where ABC initiative management was implemented to benefit the species. Methods We monitored abundance before (2011–2014 and after (2015–2016 management, and we estimated full-season productivity (i.e., young recruited into the fall population from predictive, spatially explicit models, informed by nest and fledgling survival data collected at sites in the western Great Lakes region, including Rice Lake NWR, during 2011 and 2012. Then, using biologically informed models of bird response to observed and predicted vegetation succession, we estimated the cumulative change in population recruitment over various scenarios of vegetation succession and demographic response. Results We observed an 32% decline in abundance of breeding pairs and estimated a 27% decline in per-pair full-season productivity following management, compared to no change in a nearby control site. In models that ranged from highly optimistic to progressively more realistic scenarios, we estimated a net loss of 72–460 juvenile Golden-winged Warblers produced from the managed site in the 10–20 years following management. Even if our well-informed and locally validated productivity models produced erroneous estimates and the management resulted in only a temporary reduction in abundance (i.e., no change in productivity, our forecast models still predicted a net loss of 137–260 juvenile Golden-winged Warblers from the managed area over the same time

Percutaneous vertebroplasty and conservative management for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures: a comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Wengui; Lu Jinyu; Sun Jianhua; Liang Ding; Li Zhiwei; Wang Hesheng; Guo Shanfeng

2011-01-01

Objective: To investigate the better therapeutic measures for painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) through comparing the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) with that of conservative management. Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients, encountered from December 2009 to December 2010 in authors' hospital, were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into PVP group (n=22) and conservative group (n=21). Visual analog score (VAS) for pain and Oswestry disability index (ODI) questionnaire scores were assessed before and 1 week, 1, 3, 6, 12 months after the treatment. Patients' activity levels and other information, including complications and new fractures after treatment, were also evaluated. Results: Before the treatment both the VAS and ODI scores showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Significant reduction of both VAS and ODI was observed in PVP group at 1 week and at 1 and 3 months after treatment when compared with those in conservative group (P<0.05). Patients' activity levels in PVP group were significantly improved than that in conservative group (P<0.01). One new fracture was observed in the conservative group, while no new fracture was seen in the PVP group. Conclusion: Immediate pain relief and improvement of daily activities after PVP can be achieved in all patients. PVP should be considered as the treatment of first choice for symptomatic osteoporotic vertebral fractures. (authors)

Conservation of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Chinese White Dolphin (Sousa chinensis: Fishers' Perspectives and Management Implications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ta-Kang Liu

Full Text Available The abundance of the eastern Taiwan Strait (ETS population of the Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis has been estimated to be less than 100 individuals. It is categorized as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Thus, immediate measures of conservation should be taken to protect it from extinction. Currently, the Taiwanese government plans to designate its habitat as a Major Wildlife Habitat (MWH, a type of marine protected area (MPA for conservation of wildlife species. Although the designation allows continuing the current exploitation, however, it may cause conflicts among multiple stakeholders with competing interests. The study is to explore the attitude and opinions among the stakeholders in order to better manage the MPA. This study employs a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire survey of local fishers. Results from interviews indicated that the subsistence of fishers remains a major problem. It was found that stakeholders have different perceptions of the fishers' attitude towards conservation and also thought that the fishery-related law enforcement could be difficult. Quantitative survey showed that fishers are generally positive towards the conservation of the Chinese white dolphin but are less willing to participate in the planning process. Most fishers considered temporary fishing closure as feasible for conservation. The results of this study provide recommendations for future efforts towards the goal of better conservation for this endangered species.

Clinical Application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Management of Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

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Jeon-Hor Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC, also termed primary, induction, or preoperative chemotherapy, is traditionally used to downstage inoperable breast cancer. In recent years it has been increasingly used for patients who have operable cancers in order to facilitate breast-conserving surgery, achieve better cosmetic outcome, and improve prognosis by reaching pathologic complete response (pCR. Many studies have demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI can assess residual tumor size after NAC, and that provides critical information for planning of the optimal surgery. NAC also allows for timely adjustment of administered drugs based on response, so ineffective regimens could be terminated early to spare patients from unnecessary toxicity while allowing other effective regimens to work sooner. This review article summarizes the clinical application of MRI during NAC. The use of different MR imaging methods, including dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, proton MR spectroscopy, and diffusion-weighted MRI, to monitor and evaluate the NAC response, as well as how changes of parameters measured at an early time after initiation of a drug regimen can predict final treatment outcome, are reviewed. MRI has been proven a valuable tool and will continue to provide important information facilitating individualized image-guided treatment and personalized management for breast cancer patients undergoing NAC.

Species Richness and Community Structure on a High Latitude Reef: Implications for Conservation and Management

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Wayne Houston

2011-07-01

Full Text Available In spite of the wealth of research on the Great Barrier Reef, few detailed biodiversity assessments of its inshore coral communities have been conducted. Effective conservation and management of marine ecosystems begins with fine-scale biophysical assessments focused on diversity and the architectural species that build the structural framework of the reef. In this study, we investigate key coral diversity and environmental attributes of an inshore reef system surrounding the Keppel Bay Islands near Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia, and assess their implications for conservation and management. The Keppels has much higher coral diversity than previously found. The average species richness for the 19 study sites was ~40 with representatives from 68% of the ~244 species previously described for the southern Great Barrier Reef. Using scleractinian coral species richness, taxonomic distinctiveness and coral cover as the main criteria, we found that five out of 19 sites had particularly high conservation value. A further site was also considered to be of relatively high value. Corals at this site were taxonomically distinct from the others (representatives of two families were found here but not at other sites and a wide range of functionally diverse taxa were present. This site was associated with more stressful conditions such as high temperatures and turbidity. Highly diverse coral communities or biodiversity ‘hotspots’ and taxonomically distinct reefs may act as insurance policies for climatic disturbance, much like Noah’s Arks for reefs. While improving water quality and limiting anthropogenic impacts are clearly important management initiatives to improve the long-term outlook for inshore reefs, identifying, mapping and protecting these coastal ‘refugia’ may be the key for ensuring their regeneration against catastrophic climatic disturbance in the meantime.

Surgery versus conservative management of endometriomas in subfertile women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brink Laursen, Jacob; Schroll, Jeppe Bennekou; Macklon, Kirsten T

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Endometriomas are present in up to 44% of all women with endometriosis and have a detrimental effect on fertility. However, it is controversial whether endometriomas should be surgically removed before assisted reproduction technology (ART). Our purpose was to evaluate whether...... surgical stripping of endometriomas in subfertile women improves the chance of a live birth. Secondary outcomes were impact on ovarian reserve and pain. Material and methods We conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis with results reported in accordance to the PRISMA guidelines. Summary of findings...... with conservative management before in vitro fertilization (IVF)/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)) was 0.87 (95% CI; 0.64-1.18, six studies, I(2) = 3%; ⨁◯◯◯, VERY LOW quality). The mean difference of antral follicle count was -2.09 (95% CI; -4.84 - +0.67, four studies). No difference was observed regarding...

Imaging and management of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkodieh, J.E.; Walden, S.H.; Low, D.

2013-01-01

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) causes chronic, progressive ischaemic nephropathy and is the most common cause of secondary hypertension. Radiology plays a large part in the diagnosis, with a variety of imaging techniques available. Each has relative advantages and disadvantages depending on each unique clinical setting. We discuss and illustrate the range of diagnostic methods and interventional techniques for diagnosis and management of RAS and review the current evidence base for endovascular therapy compared with optimal medical management. Knowledge of the relative merits of the various forms of imaging and treatment will guide decision making in the multidisciplinary setting

USE OF UAS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES

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S. Gagliolo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The task of conservation and management of cultural heritage is quite central in Italy, which lists a high number of beautiful architectures. A quick and precise survey may be requested in case of calamity. In the present paper, the most commonly used survey techniques are discussed, focusing on their applications for the conservation of the artistic heritage in case of emergency. Particular attention is given to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS photogrammetry and its potentiality in obtaining good results in terms of speed, cheapness, precision and accuracy, assuring at the same time the safety of the operators in critical situations (e.g. natural disasters. A case study, realized at the Castle of Casalbagliano (Alessandria, Italy, is discussed. Different image block configurations and acquisition geometries (nadiral and oblique images have been exploited, with the aim of defining useful guidelines for emergencies UAS survey of partially collapsed structures. An application to a significative case study is introduced.

Use of Uas for the Conservation of Historical Buildings in Case of Emergencies

Science.gov (United States)

Gagliolo, S.; Fagandini, R.; Federici, B.; Ferrando, I.; Passoni, D.; Pagliari, D.; Pinto, L.; Sguerso, D.

2017-05-01

The task of conservation and management of cultural heritage is quite central in Italy, which lists a high number of beautiful architectures. A quick and precise survey may be requested in case of calamity. In the present paper, the most commonly used survey techniques are discussed, focusing on their applications for the conservation of the artistic heritage in case of emergency. Particular attention is given to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) photogrammetry and its potentiality in obtaining good results in terms of speed, cheapness, precision and accuracy, assuring at the same time the safety of the operators in critical situations (e.g. natural disasters). A case study, realized at the Castle of Casalbagliano (Alessandria, Italy), is discussed. Different image block configurations and acquisition geometries (nadiral and oblique images) have been exploited, with the aim of defining useful guidelines for emergencies UAS survey of partially collapsed structures. An application to a significative case study is introduced.

BPA's Eighth Annual Energy Conservation Management Conference : Proceedings.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Energy Conservation Management Conference (8th : 1981); United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1981-01-01

The five-year energy conservation program at Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is described at the conference. An overview of the program is presented. Topics covered in panel discussions include: how utilities can work effectively with weatherization contractors, homebuilders, energy auditors, and weatherization material suppliers; mechanisms for implementing conservation programs in the commercial sector; experiences gained in existing residential weatherization programs; and streamlining relationships between consumers, utilities, and BPA in providing services and getting feedback. The planning, programming, technical assistance, and engineering thrusts of BPA's conservation programs are discussed. Indoor air quality, renewable energy, and the regulator's role in relationships to energy conservation are discussed. Passive solar programs, DOE initiatives in solar and conservation for buildings, conservation potential in the commercial and industrial sectors, and current conservation research and development are also discussed. (MCW)

An Option of Conservative Management of a Duodenal Injury Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

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MA Modi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Duodenal injury following laparoscopic cholecystectomy is rare complications with catastrophic sequelae. Most injuries are attributed to thermal burns with electrocautery following adhesiolysis and have a delayed presentation requiring surgical intervention. We present a case of a 47-year-old gentleman operated on for laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a bilious drain postoperatively; for which an ERC was done showing choledocholithiasis with cystic duct stump blow-out and a drain in the duodenum suggestive of an iatrogenic duodenal injury. He was managed conservatively like a duodenal fistula and recovered without undergoing any intervention.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging study of Piaget's conservation-of-number task in preschool and school-age children: a neo-Piagetian approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Houdé, Olivier; Pineau, Arlette; Leroux, Gaëlle; Poirel, Nicolas; Perchey, Guy; Lanoë, Céline; Lubin, Amélie; Turbelin, Marie-Renée; Rossi, Sandrine; Simon, Grégory; Delcroix, Nicolas; Lamberton, Franck; Vigneau, Mathieu; Wisniewski, Gabriel; Vicet, Jean-René; Mazoyer, Bernard

2011-11-01

Jean Piaget's theory is a central reference point in the study of logico-mathematical development in children. One of the most famous Piagetian tasks is number conservation. Failures and successes in this task reveal two fundamental stages in children's thinking and judgment, shifting at approximately 7 years of age from visuospatial intuition to number conservation. In the current study, preschool children (nonconservers, 5-6 years of age) and school-age children (conservers, 9-10 years of age) were presented with Piaget's conservation-of-number task and monitored by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The cognitive change allowing children to access conservation was shown to be related to the neural contribution of a bilateral parietofrontal network involved in numerical and executive functions. These fMRI results highlight how the behavioral and cognitive stages Piaget formulated during the 20th century manifest in the brain with age. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interactive Mapping of Inundation Metrics Using Cloud Computing for Improved Floodplain Conservation and Management

Science.gov (United States)

Bulliner, E. A., IV; Lindner, G. A.; Bouska, K.; Paukert, C.; Jacobson, R. B.

2017-12-01

Within large-river ecosystems, floodplains serve a variety of important ecological functions. A recent survey of 80 managers of floodplain conservation lands along the Upper and Middle Mississippi and Lower Missouri Rivers in the central United States found that the most critical information needed to improve floodplain management centered on metrics for characterizing depth, extent, frequency, duration, and timing of inundation. These metrics can be delivered to managers efficiently through cloud-based interactive maps. To calculate these metrics, we interpolated an existing one-dimensional hydraulic model for the Lower Missouri River, which simulated water surface elevations at cross sections spaced (step. To translate these water surface elevations to inundation depths, we subtracted a merged terrain model consisting of floodplain LIDAR and bathymetric surveys of the river channel. This approach resulted in a 29000+ day time series of inundation depths across the floodplain using grid cells with 30 m spatial resolution. Initially, we used these data on a local workstation to calculate a suite of nine spatially distributed inundation metrics for the entire model domain. These metrics are calculated on a per pixel basis and encompass a variety of temporal criteria generally relevant to flora and fauna of interest to floodplain managers, including, for example, the average number of days inundated per year within a growing season. Using a local workstation, calculating these metrics for the entire model domain requires several hours. However, for the needs of individual floodplain managers working at site scales, these metrics may be too general and inflexible. Instead of creating a priori a suite of inundation metrics able to satisfy all user needs, we present the usage of Google's cloud-based Earth Engine API to allow users to define and query their own inundation metrics from our dataset and produce maps nearly instantaneously. This approach allows users to

Incorporating social and cultural significance of large old trees in conservation policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Blicharska, Malgorzata; Mikusiński, Grzegorz

2014-12-01

In addition to providing key ecological functions, large old trees are a part of a social realm and as such provide numerous social-cultural benefits to people. However, their social and cultural values are often neglected when designing conservation policies and management guidelines. We believe that awareness of large old trees as a part of human identity and cultural heritage is essential when addressing the issue of their decline worldwide. Large old trees provide humans with aesthetic, symbolic, religious, and historic values, as well as concrete tangible benefits, such as leaves, branches, or nuts. In many cultures particularly large trees are treated with reverence. Also, contemporary popular culture utilizes the image of trees as sentient beings and builds on the ancient myths that attribute great powers to large trees. Although the social and cultural role of large old trees is usually not taken into account in conservation, accounting for human-related values of these trees is an important part of conservation policy because it may strengthen conservation by highlighting the potential synergies in protecting ecological and social values. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Handbook on energy conservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-12-01

This book shows energy situation in recent years, which includes reserves of energy resource in the world, crude oil production records in OPEC and non OPEC, supply and demand of energy in important developed countries, prospect of supply and demand of energy and current situation of energy conservation in developed countries. It also deals with energy situation in Korea reporting natural resources status, energy conservation policy, measurement for alternative energy, energy management of Korea, investment in equipment and public education for energy conservation.

CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT VERSUS STEROID INJECTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF UNICAMERAL BONE CYST

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Rajeev Kumar Roy

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Unicameral Bone Cyst (UBC is described as a central metaphyseal cystic lesion of the bone with serum fluid content. Diagnosis is typically based on x-ray imaging features, age, localisation at proximal humerus and femur and the absence of symptoms until pathological fracture development. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighteen patients with unicameral bone cysts were reviewed in Nalanda Medical College Hospital. Nine patients received serial steroid injections and the other nine patients were treated conservatively following fractures. In the steroid injection group, six cases were in the proximal femur and three in the proximal humerus. RESULTS The nine steroid injection patients showed radiological evidence of cyst healing within four months of treatment. Subsequently, all 9 patients showed a satisfactory radiological outcome after a year and complete resolution after 2 years. In the conservative group, all 9 cases were in the proximal humerus. Persistent cystic lesions were observed in all 9 patients and 2 was complicated by another fracture within 6 months. CONCLUSION Fractures through UBC in the upper extremity can be treated nonoperatively. However, steroid injection is an effective option to hasten healing and should be considered as a primary treatment of unicameral bone cyst.

Caribou conservation and recovery in Ontario: development and implementation of the Caribou Conservation Plan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ted (E.R. Armstrong

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The range of Ontario’s woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (forest-dwelling ecotype has receded northward substantially over many decades, leading to its current Threatened designation. Ontario released its Caribou Conservation Plan (CCP in the fall of 2009. This policy responded to public input and recommendations from the Ontario Woodland Caribou Recovery Team and the Caribou Science Review Panel, and outlines conservation and recovery actions to conserve and recover caribou. Within an adaptive management framework, the CCP builds upon a recent history of managing at large landscape scales in Ontario to implement a range management approach as the basis for recovery actions. These commitments and actions include enhanced research and monitoring, improved caribou habitat planning at the landscape scale, an integrated range analysis approach using advanced assessment tools to evaluate thresholds of habitat amount, arrangement and disturbance, the assessment of probability of persistence, consideration of cumulative effects, meeting forest management silvicultural performance requirements, consideration of caribou recovery implications when managing other wildlife, an initial focus on the southern edge of caribou distribution where threats are most significant, improved outreach and stewardship, and consideration of Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge in recovery actions. Implementation of the CCP signifies a long-term provincial commitment to caribou recovery, initially focusing on identified priorities within the CCP.

Long-term impact of reduced tillage and residue management on soil carbon stabilization: Implications for conservation agriculture on contrasting soil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chivenge, P.P.; Murwira, H.K.; Giller, K.E.; Mapfumo, P.; Six, J.

2007-01-01

Residue retention and reduced tillage are both conservation agricultural management options that may enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization in tropical soils. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of long-term tillage and residue management on SOC dynamics in a Chromic Luvisol (red clay soil)

Land-use history as a guide for forest conservation and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitlock, Cathy; Colombaroli, Daniele; Conedera, Marco; Tinner, Willy

2018-02-01

ecological change, clarify management objectives, and define conservation strategies that seek to protect both natural and cultural elements. © 2017 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Bounded ranges of variation as a framework for future conservation and fire management.

Science.gov (United States)

Moritz, Max A; Hurteau, Matthew D; Suding, Katharine N; D'Antonio, Carla M

2013-05-01

Alterations in natural fire patterns have negatively affected fire-prone ecosystems in many ways. The historical range of variability (HRV) concept evolved as a management target for natural vegetation composition and fire regimes in fire-prone ecosystems. HRV-based management inherently assumes that ecosystem resilience is reflected in observed ranges of past vegetation and fire dynamics, typically without knowledge of where thresholds exist beyond these dynamics. Given uncertainty in future conditions, some have argued that HRV may not adequately reflect ecosystem resilience to future fire activity. We suggest a refinement that includes concepts from the thresholds of potential concern (TPC) framework, which emphasizes tipping points at the extremes of ecosystem dynamics and other socially unacceptable outcomes. We propose bounded ranges of variation (BRV), an approach focused on building resilience by using historical information, but also by identifying socio-ecological thresholds to avoid and associated management action triggers. Here, we examine nonnative species and carbon sequestration as examples of how the BRV framework could be used in the context of conservation and fire management. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

Conservative treatment of sciatica : A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vroomen, PCAJ; de Krom, MCTFM; Slofstra, PD; Knottnerus, JA

2000-01-01

Most patients with sciatica (often caused by disc herniations) are managed conservatively at first. The natural course seems to be favorable. The additional value of many conservative therapies remains controversial. Because a systematic review of the conservative treatment of sciatica is lacking,

Umbrellas can work under water: Using threatened species as indicator and management surrogates can improve coastal conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Gilby, Ben L.; Olds, Andrew D.; Connolly, Rod M.; Yabsley, Nicholas A.; Maxwell, Paul S.; Tibbetts, Ian R.; Schoeman, David S.; Schlacher, Thomas A.

2017-12-01

Species surrogates, the use of particular species to index habitat condition or to represent ecological assemblages are commonly identified in many ecosystems, but are less tested, and therefore less employed in estuaries. Estuaries provide important ecosystem goods (e.g. harvestable species) and services (e.g. carbon processing, coastal armouring), but require protection from multiple human activities, meaning that finding surrogates for estuarine condition or faunal assemblages is a significant knowledge gap. In this study, we test the efficacy of the threatened estuary ray Hemitrygon fluviorum, as a suitable indicator of ecosystem condition and management umbrella surrogate species for conservation prioritisation and monitoring purposes within estuaries. We surveyed fish assemblages and ray presence at ten sites within each of 22 estuaries in southeast Queensland, Australia, using one hour deployments of baited video arrays. We then tested for correlations between ray presence, a series of environmental variables considered important to ecosystem management within estuaries (i.e. testing rays as indicator species), and the co-occurring fish species (i.e. testing rays as umbrella species). Estuary rays function as both umbrella species and ecological indicators of habitat status in subtropical Australian estuaries. As umbrellas, ray occurrence concords with elevated species richness. As ecological indicators, ray distribution concords with habitats of good water quality (especially low turbidity) and more natural vegetation remaining in the catchment. These results highlight the potential for other threatened aquatic vertebrates that are both readily detectable and that are reliable proxies for ecosystems status to be become useful management tools in estuaries. The protection of such large, threatened species in coastal seascapes allows managers to address multiple targets for conservation, especially; (1) protecting species of conservation concern; (2

Conservation implications of forest changes caused by bark beetle management in the Šumava National Park

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Zýval, V.; Křenová, Zdeňka; Kindlmann, Pavel

2016-01-01

Roč. 204, part B (2016), s. 394-402 ISSN 0006-3207 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1415 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : Natura 2000 * Forest ecosystem management * Natural disturbances * Bark beetles * National park conservation policy Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 4.022, year: 2016

SUBMONTANE FOREST AT BANTIMURUNG BULUSARAUNG NATIONAL PARK: HOTSPOT OF BIRD DIVERSITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT CONSERVATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indra A.S.L.P. Putri

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Submontane forest is considered as one of the biodiversity hotspot.  Scientific information on bird diversity in this forest, however are lacking.  The aim of this research was to find out submontane forest bird diversity and its conservation management.  The research was carried out in three forests areas at Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park submontane forest.  Point Count method was used to observe bird population. Data were analyzed using Shannon-Weiner diversity index, Pielou Evenness index, Simpson dominance index, Margalef species richness index, and Sorensen Similarity index. The significance different between the number of individual bird was tested using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.  The result showed that submontane forest at Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park is rich in bird diversity, bird endemic species and protected bird species.  There was a significant different on the number of individual bird at several human disturbance levels.  Based on these conditions, it is important to enhance understanding of the local people regarding zonation and develop cooperation with many stakeholders to increase the local community awareness concerning forest conservation. It is also necessary to ensure the sustainability of the National Park’s conservation program to maintain the submontane forest conservation.

Reverse logistics policy – differences between conservative and innovative reverse logistics management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alena Klapalová

2013-01-01

Full Text Available One of the of the key barriers that hampers effective and efficient management of reverse flows detected within a number of empirical surveys and case studies focused on reverse logistics and/or return management is business (organisational policy, specifically lack of policy, deficiency in existing policy or inferior policy. Despite this fact, there is a gap in literature which would show some evidence from practice that innovative reverse logistics policy both can pay off and is associated with certain aspects of reverse logistics management. Such proof can have several implications. It can support the call for better understanding and more research of the linkages of reverse logistics with other corporate functions, promote the acceptation of strategic character of reverse logistics and stress the role of RL policy within the rest of overall corporate management.The aim of this paper is to contribute and to enrich the existing body of knowledge concerning the above-mentioned gap through presentation of survey results that was realized in 2012 among managers of 244 Czech firms. The results demonstrate the statistically significant association between the innovativeness of RL policy and profitability of firms, quality of RL planning, perception of RL importance, level of RL knowledge and perception of product innovation importance for firms’ competitiveness and frequency of product innovation. They also reveal statistically significant differences between firms with conservative and innovative RL policy and the perceived existence of some barriers to manage RL.

Energy management: a program of energy conservation for the community college facility. [Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Various Authors

1978-01-01

This handbook developes helps for assessing and improving the energy efficiency of the community-college facility. The TEEM approach (Total Educational Energy Management) is a labor-intensive approach which requires the commitment and participation of all segments of the college community. The TEEM program presented here defines a series of tasks selected, ordered, and implemented in such a way as to achieve two basic objectives: (1) reducing campus energy requirements, and (2) meeting those reduced energy requirements more efficiently without adversely affecting the quality of educational programs. This guide to large-scale energy conservation on college campuses includes step-by-step procedures for establishing a program task force, defining specific tasks, and assigning responsibilities. Action plans are developed, energy consumption monitored, goals set, and conservation measures implemented. A series of appendices provides more detailed information, charts, and worksheets related to all aspects of energy use. The TEEM program provides the basic structure for achieving a significant reduction in campus energy costs.

Book review: Black bass diversity: Multidisciplinary science for conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Jelks, Howard L.

2016-01-01

These proceedings are from the third symposium dedicated to management and conservation of black basses in the genus Micropterus. The first symposium was held in 1975 (R. H. Stroud and H. Clepper. Black Bass Biology and Management. Washington (DC): Sport Fishing Institute) followed 25 years later by Black Bass 2000 (D. P. Philipp and M. S. Ridgway. 2002. Black Bass: Ecology, Conservation, and Management. Bethesda (MD): American Fisheries Society). Although the previous books discussed conservation of genetic variation and distinct strains of basses, the bulk of the papers in those tomes emphasized management of largemouth and smallmouth bass. In contrast, this third symposium is focused on the rarer bass species and challenges for their successful management.

Conservation without borders: building communication and action across disciplinary boundaries for effective conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Margles, Shawn W; Peterson, Richard B; Ervin, Jamison; Kaplin, Beth A

2010-01-01

Interdisciplinary approaches to conservation research and environmental management continue to garner interest among practitioners, academics, and students. Yet, cases of practitioners and researchers from different disciplines successfully working in concert towards an integrated conservation approach are rare. What is preventing practitioners of multiple disciplines from harmoniously working together? Why are practitioners and academics struggling to apply their graduate training to real world conservation? What is preventing the benefits of cooperation and partnerships between different disciplines addressing conservation from being realized? This special issue "Conservation without Borders: Building Communication and Action across Disciplinary Boundaries for Effective Conservation" asks readers to consider the numerous interpretations and implications of the phrase "Conservation without Borders" and to reflect on how different academic and disciplinary lenses can contribute to a more integrated approach to tackling conservation challenges. The articles that comprise this special issue offer readers insights into the ways in which different disciplines view conservation work and interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problems. Bringing these perspectives and approaches together in one place is a step towards improving communication across disciplines for the purpose of achieving more successful biodiversity conservation.

Outcomes After Conservative, Endoscopic, and Surgical Treatment of Groove Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kager, Liesbeth M; Lekkerkerker, Selma J; Arvanitakis, Marianna; Delhaye, Myriam; Fockens, Paul; Boermeester, Marja A; van Hooft, Jeanin E; Besselink, Marc G

2017-09-01

Groove pancreatitis (GP) is a focal form of chronic pancreatitis affecting the paraduodenal groove area, for which consensus on diagnosis and management is lacking. We performed a systematic review of the literature to determine patient characteristics and imaging features of GP and to evaluate clinical outcomes after treatment. Eight studies were included reporting on 335 GP patients with a median age of 47 years (range, 34 to 64 y), with 90% male, 87% smokers, and 87% alcohol consumption, and 47 months (range, 15 to 122 mo) of follow-up. Most patients presented with abdominal pain (91%) and/or weight loss (78%). Imaging frequently showed cystic lesions (91%) and duodenal stenosis (60%).Final treatment was conservative (eg, pain medication) in 29% of patients. Endoscopic treatment (eg, pseudocyst drainage) was applied in 19% of patients-34% of these patients were subsequently referred for surgery. Overall, 59% of patients were treated surgically (eg, pancreatoduodenectomy). Complete symptom relief was observed in 50% of patients who were treated conservatively, 57% who underwent endoscopic treatment, and 79% who underwent surgery. GP is associated with male gender, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The vast majority of patients presents with abdominal pain and with cystic lesions on imaging. Although surgical treatment seems to be the most effective, both conservative and endoscopic treatment are successful in about half of patients. A stepwise treatment algorithm starting with the least invasive treatment options seems advisable.

Quality of life and disability 12 months after surgery vs. conservative management for unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations: Scottish population-based and Australian hospital-based studies.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, Joan Margaret; Al-Shahi Salman, Rustam; Manuguerra, Maurizio; Assaad, Nazih; Morgan, Michael Kerin

2018-03-01

Few data are available on disability and quality of life (QOL) after surgery versus conservative management for unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (uAVMs). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that QOL and disability are worse after surgery ± preoperative embolisation for uAVM compared with conservative management. We included consecutive patients diagnosed with uAVM from a prospective population-based study in Scotland (1999-2003; 2006-2010) and a prospective hospital-based series in Australia (2011-2015). We assessed outcomes on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and the Short Form (SF)-36 at ~ 12 months after surgery or conservative treatment and compared these groups using continuous ordinal regression in the two cohorts separately. Surgery was performed for 29% of all uAVM cases diagnosed in Scotland and 84% of all uAVM referred in Australia. There was no statistically significant difference between surgery and conservative management at 12 months among 79 patients in Scotland (mean SF-36 Physical Component Score (PCS) 39 [SD 14] vs. 39 [SD 13]; mean SF-36 Mental Component Score (MCS) 38 [SD 14] vs. 39 [SD 14]; mRS > 1, 24 vs. 9%), nor among 37 patients in Australia (PCS 51 [SD 10] vs. 49 [SD 6]; MCS 48 [SD 12] vs. 49 [SD 10]; mRS > 1, 19 vs. 30%). In the Australian series, there was no statistically significant change in the MCS and PCS between baseline before surgery or conservative management and 12 months. We did not find a statistically significant difference between surgery ± preoperative embolisation and conservative management in disability or QOL at 12 months.

Management and Area-wide Evaluation of Water Conservation Zones in Agricultural Catchments for Biomass Production, Water Quality and Food Security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-04-01

Global land and water resources are under threat from both the agricultural and urban development to meet increased demand for food and from the resulting degradation of the environment. Poor crop yields due to water stress is one of the main reasons for the prevailing hunger and rural poverty in parts of the world. The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s particularly in Latin America and Asia resulted in increased agricultural production and depended partly on water management. In the future, most food will still need to come from rain-fed agriculture. Water conservation zones in agricultural catchments, particularly in rainfed areas, play an important role in the capture and storage of water and nutrients from farmlands and wider catchments, and help improve crop production in times of need in these areas. Water conservation zones are considered to be an important part of water resource management strategies that have been developed to prevent reservoir siltation, reduce water quality degradation, mitigate flooding, enhance groundwater recharge and provide water for farming. In addition to making crop production possible in dry areas, water conservation zones minimize soil erosion, improve soil moisture status through capillary rise and enhance soil fertility and quality. These water conservation zones include natural and constructed wetlands (including riparian wetlands), farm ponds and riparian buffer zones. The management of water conservation zones has been a challenge due to the poor understanding of the relationship between upstream land use and the functions of these zones and their internal dynamics. Knowledge of sources and sinks of water and redefining water and nutrient budgets for water conservation zones are important for optimizing the capture, storage and use of water and nutrients in agricultural landscapes. The overall objective of this coordinated research project (CRP) was to assess and enhance ecosystem services provided by wetlands, ponds

Achieving desired images while avoiding undesired images: exploring the role of self-monitoring in impression management.

Science.gov (United States)

Turnley, W H; Bolino, M C

2001-04-01

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that high self-monitors more effectively manage impressions than low self-monitors do. Students in work groups indicated the extent to which they used 5 impression-management tactics over the course of a semester-long project. At the project's conclusion, students provided their perceptions of the other members of their group. The relationship between impression management and image favorability was then examined across 339 student-student dyads. The results generally suggest that high self-monitors can use impression-management tactics more effectively than can low self-monitors. In particular, high self-monitors appear to be more adept than low self-monitors at using ingratiation, self-promotion, and exemplification to achieve favorable images among their colleagues.

Ecosystem Management and Land Conservation Can Substantially Contribute to California's Climate Mitigation Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Marvin, D.; Cameron, D. R.; Passero, M. C.; Remucal, J. M.

2017-12-01

California has been a global leader in climate change policy through its early adoption of ambitious GHG reduction goals, committing to steep reductions through 2030 and beyond. Modeling efforts focused on future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy and other sectors in California have shown varying capacity to meet the emissions reductions targets established by the state. These efforts have not included potential reductions from changes in ecosystem management, restoration, and conservation. This study simulates the future GHG reduction potential of these land-based activities (e.g., changes to forest management, avoided conversion of grasslands to agriculture) when applied to California lands at three plausible rates of policy implementation relative to current efforts. We then compare the reduction potential of the activities against "business-as-usual" (BAU) emissions projections for the California to highlight the contribution of the biosphere toward reaching the state's GHG 2030 and 2050 reduction targets. By 2030, an Ambitious land-based activity implementation scenario could contribute as much as 146.7 MMTCO2e or 17.4% of the cumulative reductions needed to meet the state's 2030 goal, greater than the individual contributions of four other economic sectors, including those from the Industrial and Agriculture sectors. On an annual basis, the Ambitious scenario could result in reductions as high as 17.93 MMTCO2e yr-1 or 13.4% of the state's 2030 reduction goal. Most reductions come from changes in forest management, such as extending rotation times for harvest and reducing stocking density, thereby promoting accelerated growth. Such changes comprise 59.8% to 67.4% of annual projected emissions reductions in 2050 for the Ambitious and Limited scenarios, respectively. Implementation of a range of land-based emissions reduction activities can materially contribute to one of the most ambitious mitigation targets globally. This study provides a flexible

Measuring farmer conservation behaviors: Challenges and best practices

Science.gov (United States)

Kristin Floress; Adam Reimer; Aaron Thompson; Mark Burbach; Cody Knutson; Linda Prokopy; Marc Ribaudo; Jessica. Ulrich-Schad

2018-01-01

This article presents a guide for understanding the purposes and appropriate uses of different measures of conservation behavior. While applicable across natural resource management contexts, we primarily draw upon agricultural conservation research to illustrate our points. Farmers are often of interest to researchers, program managers, extension professionals, and...

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. It has since been...

Clinical outcome in children with chronic granulomatous disease managed conservatively or with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Theresa; Pearce, Mark S; Cant, Andrew J; Cale, Catherine M; Goldblatt, David; Gennery, Andrew R

2013-11-01

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a primary immunodeficiency characterized by serious infections and inflammation. It can be managed conservatively with prophylactic antimicrobial agents or curatively with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In the United Kingdom and Ireland there are cohorts of children managed both conservatively and curatively. This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes (mortality and morbidity) in children managed conservatively and curatively. Children were identified from specialist centers and advertising through special interest groups. Clinical data were collected from medical records regarding infections, inflammatory complications and growth, other admissions, and curative treatment. Comparisons were made for patients not undergoing HSCT and patients after HSCT. Seventy-three living children were identified, 59 (80%) of whom were recruited. Five deceased children were also identified. Clinical information was available for 62 children (4 deceased). Thirty (48%) children had undergone HSCT. Children who did not undergo transplantation had 0.71 episodes of infection/admission/surgery per CGD life year (95% CI, 0.69-0.75 events per year). Post-HSCT children had 0.15 episodes of infection/admission/surgery per transplant year (95% CI, 0.09-0.21 events per year). The mean z score for height and body mass index (BMI) for age was significantly better in post-HSCT children. Survival in the non-HSCT group was 90% at age 15 years. Survival in the post-HSCT group was 90%. Children with CGD not undergoing transplantation have more serious infections, episodes of surgery, and admissions compared with post-HSCT children. Children undergoing transplantation have better height for age. Survival is good at the end of the pediatric age range and also after HSCT. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Community Forestry and Forest Conservation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milhøj, Anders; Casse, Thorkil

2011-01-01

This paper is a meta-study of local forest management experiences in developing countries drawn from a review of 56 case-studies presented in 52 papers. Many case-studies report positive links between community forestry and forest conservation. In international organizations and NGOs there is a g......This paper is a meta-study of local forest management experiences in developing countries drawn from a review of 56 case-studies presented in 52 papers. Many case-studies report positive links between community forestry and forest conservation. In international organizations and NGOs...

Energy management for the future. A sourcebook of ideas and activities for energy conservation learning programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-01-01

This book serves as a teaching aid for Canadian school programs in energy conservation and energy management. Suitable curriculum areas and objectives are outlined, and suggestions are presented for organizing thematic study units. References are made throughout to appropriate use of additional media such as filmstrips. Five study units, each with its own classroom activities, are detailed: energy resources, energy and the home, energy and food, energy and leisure, and energy in transportation. Suggestions are given for ongoing energy management educational programs to be tried out once the study units have been completed. 23 figs.

Opting out of dialysis – Exploring patients' decisions to forego dialysis in favour of conservative non-dialytic management for end-stage renal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Seah, Angeline S T; Tan, Fiona; Srinivas, Subramaniam; Wu, Huei Yei; Griva, Konstadina

2015-10-01

Dialysis prolongs the life of people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but for patients who are elderly and suffer multiple comorbid illnesses the benefits of dialysis may be outweighed by its negative consequences. Non-dialytic conservative management has therefore become an alternative treatment route, yet little is known on patients' experience with choosing end-of-life treatment. To gain insight into the decision-making process leading to opting out of dialysis and the experience with conservative non-dialytic management from the patients' perspective. Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken as the framework for data analysis. N = 9 ESRD participants who have taken the decision to forego dialysis were recruited from the advanced care programme under the National Healthcare Group, Singapore. Participants discussed life since ESRD diagnosis, and the personal and contextual factors that led them to choose conservative management. The perceived physical and financial burden of dialysis both for the individual but most importantly for their family, uncertainty over likely gains over risks which were fuelled by communication of negative dialysis stories of others, coupled with sense of life completion and achievement led them to refuse dialysis. All participants took ownership of their decision despite contrary advice by doctors and were content with their decision and current management. Study highlights the factors driving patients' decisions for conservative non-dialytic management over dialysis to allow medical professionals to offer appropriate support to patients through their decision-making process and in caring them for the rest of their lives. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modeling the Dispersal of Spiny Lobster (Palinurus elephas Larvae: Implications for Future Fisheries Management and Conservation Measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Whomersley

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of larval dispersal, population dynamics and connectivity in relation to the management and conservation of commercially important species is vital if existing fisheries are to remain sustainable into the future. Larval dispersal of the commercially exploited spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas, was modeled from Marine Protected Areas located in the southwest of England for a 16-month period using a General Individuals Transport Model (GITM. The model included physical particle advection based on current fields from a 3D hydrodynamics model and a larval behavior module. Our results demonstrate the overall dispersal patterns of P. elephas larvae and highlight populations capable of self-seeding and those which are seemingly reliant on larvae from more distant populations. The results indicate where further research may be required to fully understand how populations of P. elephas are maintained at regional, national and international scales while providing us with the opportunity to discuss the effectiveness of current approaches to conservation and fisheries management.

Microvax-based data management and reduction system for the regional planetary image facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Arvidson, R.; Guinness, E.; Slavney, S.; Weiss, B.

1987-01-01

Presented is a progress report for the Regional Planetary Image Facilities (RPIF) prototype image data management and reduction system being jointly implemented by Washington University and the USGS, Flagstaff. The system will consist of a MicroVAX with a high capacity (approx 300 megabyte) disk drive, a compact disk player, an image display buffer, a videodisk player, USGS image processing software, and SYSTEM 1032 - a commercial relational database management package. The USGS, Flagstaff, will transfer their image processing software including radiometric and geometric calibration routines, to the MicroVAX environment. Washington University will have primary responsibility for developing the database management aspects of the system and for integrating the various aspects into a working system.

The Conservation Measures of NATURA 2000 "Someşul Rece" Site Management Plan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian Proorocu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Natura 2000 is a European network of protected natural areas including a significant number of natural habitats and wild species for the interest of comunnity. Natura 2000 ROSCI 0233 "Someşul Rece"  Site is situated in the south-western county of Cluj, on the administrative territory of Măguri-Răcătău and Ierii Valley. It has an area of 8529 ha and is a framed area of the Apuseni Mountains Alpine bioregions. The site preserves the following natural habitats: Rough mountain beech forests Asperulo-Fagetum, beech forests of Luzulo-Fagetum, forests acidophilous Picea Abies mountain region and protect important species and active fish fauna, flora and fauna of the Apuseni Mountains. It is also home for several species (mammals, amphibians, fish and beetles like: lynx, wolf or otter. The conservation measures of Natura 2000 Somesul Rece Site, elaborated in order to protect the habitats and the species are part of the management plan. These measures were developed in close connection with the conservation status of habitats and species, but also taking into account the needs of local communities. These measures include: maintaining habitats in favorable conservation status; maintain the current habitat areas; preventing and combating poaching and overfishing;ensuring peace in areas of rock (for large mammals.

Science for avian conservation: Priorities for the new millennium

Science.gov (United States)

Ruth, J.M.; Petit, D.R.; Sauer, J.R.; Samuel, M.D.; Johnson, F.A.; Fornwall, M.D.; Korschgen, C.E.; Bennett, J.P.

2003-01-01

Over the past decade, bird conservation activities have become the preeminent natural resource conservation effort in North America. Maturation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), establishment of Partners in Flight (PIF), and creation of comprehensive colonial waterbird and shorebird conservation plans have stimulated unprecedented interest in, and funding for, bird conservation in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other countries in the western hemisphere. Key to that success in the United States has been active collaboration among federal, state and local governments, conservation organizations, academia, and industry. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), which has primary statutory responsibility for migratory bird conservation and management, has been a key partner.Despite the great strides that have been made in bird conservation science, historical approaches to research and monitoring have often failed to provide sufficient information and understanding to effectively manage bird populations at large spatial scales. That shortcoming, and the lack of an integrated strategy and comprehensive set of research priorities, is more evident in light of the goals established by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI). The NABCI is a trinational, coalition-driven effort to provide an organizational umbrella for existing conservation initiatives. The expanded focus of NABCI and individual bird conservation initiatives is to work together in an integrated, holistic fashion to keep common birds common and to increase populations of declining, threatened, and endangered species.To assist bird conservation initiatives in defining goals and developing new approaches to effective research, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the research agency of DOI, convened a workshop, “Science for Avian Conservation: Understanding, Modeling, and Applying Ecological Relationships,” on 31 October–2 November 2000, which brought together

76 FR 46854 - Hewlett Packard Company, Imaging and Printing Group, World Wide Product Data Management...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-03

..., Imaging and Printing Group, World Wide Product Data Management Operations, Including On-Site Leased... Company, Imaging and Printing Group, World Wide Products Data Management Operations, Boise, Idaho and Fort... of Hewlett Packard Company, Imaging and Printing Group, World Wide Product Data Management Operations...

SU-E-P-41: Imaging Coordination of Cone Beam CT, On-Board Image Conjunction with Optical Image Guidance for SBRT Treatment with Respiratory Motion Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Y; Campbell, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: To spare normal tissue for SBRT lung/liver patients, especially for patients with significant tumor motion, image guided respiratory motion management has been widely implemented in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate imaging coordination of cone beam CT, on-board X-ray image conjunction with optical image guidance for SBRT treatment with motion management. Methods: Currently in our clinic a Varian Novlis Tx was utilized for treating SBRT patients implementing CBCT. A BrainLAB X-ray ExacTrac imaging system in conjunction with optical guidance was primarily used for SRS patients. CBCT and X-ray imaging system were independently calibrated with 1.0 mm tolerance. For SBRT lung/liver patients, the magnitude of tumor motion was measured based-on 4DCT and the measurement was analyzed to determine if patients would be beneficial with respiratory motion management. For patients eligible for motion management, an additional CT with breath holding would be scanned and used as primary planning CT and as reference images for Cone beam CT. During the SBRT treatment, a CBCT with pause and continuing technology would be performed with patients holding breath, which may require 3–4 partially scanned CBCT to combine as a whole CBCT depending on how long patients capable of holding breath. After patients being setup by CBCT images, the ExactTrac X-ray imaging system was implemented with patients’ on-board X-ray images compared to breath holding CT-based DRR. Results: For breath holding patients SBRT treatment, after initially localizing patients with CBCT, we then position patients with ExacTrac X-ray and optical imaging system. The observed deviations of real-time optical guided position average at 3.0, 2.5 and 1.5 mm in longitudinal, vertical and lateral respectively based on 35 treatments. Conclusion: The respiratory motion management clinical practice improved our physician confidence level to give tighter tumor margin for sparing normal

Measuring Habitat Quality for Deep-Sea Corals and Sponges to Add Conservation Value to Telepresence-Enabled Science and Technology

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Etnoyer, P. J.; Hourigan, T. F.; Reser, B.; Monaco, M.

2016-02-01

The growing fleet of telepresence-enabled research vessels equipped with deep-sea imaging technology provides a new opportunity to catalyze and coordinate research efforts among ships. This development is particularly useful for studying the distribution and diversity of deep-sea corals, which occur worldwide from 50 to 8600 m depth. Marine managers around the world seek to conserve these habitats, but require a clear consensus on what types of information are most important and most relevant for marine conservation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) seeks to develop a reproducible, non-invasive set of ROV methods designed to measure conservation value, or habitat quality, for deep-sea corals and sponges. New tools and methods will be proposed to inform ocean resource management, as well as facilitate research, outreach, and education. A new database schema will be presented, building upon the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and efforts of submersible and ROV teams over the years. Visual information about corals and sponges has proven paramount, particularly high-quality images with standard attributes for marine geology and marine biology, including scientific names, colony size, health, abundance, and density. Improved habitat suitability models can be developed from these data if presence and absence are measured. Recent efforts to incorporate physical sampling into telepresence protocols further increase the value of such information. It is possible for systematic observations with small file sizes to be distributed as geo-referenced, time-stamped still images with environmental variables for water chemistry and a standardized habitat classification. The technique is common among researchers, but a distributed network for this information is still in its infancy. One goal of this presentation is to make progress towards a more integrated network of these measured observations of habitat quality to better facilitate

The Potential Importance of Conservation, Restoration, and Altered Management Practices for Water Quality in the Wabash River Watershed

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Non-point source (NPS) pollution is one of the leading causes of water quality impairment within the United States. Conservation, restoration and altered management (CRAM) practices may effectively reduce NPS pollutants discharge into receiving water bodies and enhance local and ...

Conservative surgical management of subungual (matrix derived) melanoma: report of seven cases and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sureda, N; Phan, A; Poulalhon, N; Balme, B; Dalle, S; Thomas, L

2011-10-01

Subungual melanoma (SUM) is a rare entity, comprising approximately 0·7-3·5% of all melanoma subtypes. SUM histopathologically belongs to the acral lentiginous pathological subtype of malignant melanoma. Its diagnosis is helped by dermoscopy but pathological examination of doubtful cases is required. Classical management of SUM is based on radical surgery, namely distal phalanx amputation. Conservative treatment with nonamputative wide excision of the nail unit followed by a skin graft has been insufficiently reported in the medical literature even though it is performed in many centres. To report a series of patients with in situ or minimally invasive SUM treated by conservative surgery, to investigate the postoperative evolution and to evaluate the outcome with a review of the literature. We performed a retrospective extraction study from our melanoma register of all patients with in situ and minimally invasive SUM treated with conservative surgery in the University Hospital Department of Dermatology, Lyon, France from 2004 to 2009. The patient demographics, disease presentation, delay to diagnosis, histopathology and postoperative evolution were reviewed. Seven cases of SUM treated as such were identified in our melanoma database. All cases had a clinical presentation of melanonychia striata. The mean delay to diagnosis was 2years. Surgical excision of the entire nail unit with a 5-10mm safety margin without bone resection followed by full-thickness skin graft taken from the arm was performed in all cases. No recurrence was observed with a mean follow-up of 45months. Functional results were found satisfactory by all patients and their referring physicians. Sixty-two other cases have been found in the literature and are also discussed. Conservative surgical management in patients with in situ or minimally invasive SUM is a procedure with good cosmetic and functional outcome and, in our cases as well as in the literature, the prognosis is not changed. © 2011

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear: Reliability of MR Imaging to Predict Stability after Conservative Treatment

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Chung, Hye Won; Ahn, Jin Hwan; Ahn, Joong Mo; Yoon, Young Cheol; Hong, Hyun Pyo; Yoo, So Young; Kim, Seon Woo [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2007-06-15

The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability of MR imaging to predict the stability of the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after complete recovery of the ligament's continuity. Twenty patients with 20 knee injuries (13 males and 7 females; age range, 20 54) were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criteria were a positive history of acute trauma, diagnosis of the ACL tear by both the physical examination and the MR imaging at the initial presentation, conservative treatment, complete recovery of the continuity of the ligament on the follow up (FU) MR images and availability of the KT-2000 measurements. Two radiologists, who worked in consensus, graded the MR findings with using a 3-point system for the signal intensity, sharpness, straightness and the thickness of the healed ligament. The insufficiency of ACL was categorized into three groups according to the KT-2000 measurements. The statistic correlations between the grades of the MR findings and the degrees of ACL insufficiency were analyzed using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test (p < 0.05). The p-values for each category of the MR findings according to the different groups of the KT-2000 measurements were 0.9180 for the MR signal intensity, 1.0000 for sharpness, 0.5038 for straightness and 0.2950 for thickness of the ACL. The MR findings were not significantly different between the different KT-2000 groups. MR imaging itself is not a reliable examination to predict stability of the ACL rupture outcome, even when the MR images show an intact appearance of the ACL.

Unintended consequences of conservation actions: managing disease in complex ecosystems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aliénor L M Chauvenet

Full Text Available Infectious diseases are increasingly recognised to be a major threat to biodiversity. Disease management tools such as control of animal movements and vaccination can be used to mitigate the impact and spread of diseases in targeted species. They can reduce the risk of epidemics and in turn the risks of population decline and extinction. However, all species are embedded in communities and interactions between species can be complex, hence increasing the chance of survival of one species can have repercussions on the whole community structure. In this study, we use an example from the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania to explore how a vaccination campaign against Canine Distemper Virus (CDV targeted at conserving the African lion (Panthera leo, could affect the viability of a coexisting threatened species, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus. Assuming that CDV plays a role in lion regulation, our results suggest that a vaccination programme, if successful, risks destabilising the simple two-species system considered, as simulations show that vaccination interventions could almost double the probability of extinction of an isolated cheetah population over the next 60 years. This work uses a simple example to illustrate how predictive modelling can be a useful tool in examining the consequence of vaccination interventions on non-target species. It also highlights the importance of carefully considering linkages between human-intervention, species viability and community structure when planning species-based conservation actions.

Conservation Physiology and Conservation Pathogens: White-Nose Syndrome and Integrative Biology for Host-Pathogen Systems.

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Willis, Craig K R

2015-10-01

Conservation physiology aims to apply an understanding of physiological mechanisms to management of imperiled species, populations, or ecosystems. One challenge for physiologists hoping to apply their expertise to conservation is connecting the mechanisms we study, often in the laboratory, with the vital rates of populations in the wild. There is growing appreciation that infectious pathogens can threaten populations and species, and represent an important issue for conservation. Conservation physiology has much to offer in terms of addressing the threat posed to some host species by infectious pathogens. At the same time, the well-developed theoretical framework of disease ecology could provide a model to help advance the application of physiology to a range of other conservation issues. Here, I use white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating North American bats as an example of a conservation problem for which integrative physiological research has been a critical part of research and management. The response to WNS highlights the importance of a well-developed theoretical framework for the application of conservation physiology to a particular threat. I review what is known about physiological mechanisms associated with mortality from WNS and emphasize the value of combining a strong theoretical background with integrative physiological studies in order to connect physiological mechanisms with population processes and thereby maximize the potential benefits of conservation physiology. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Habitat modeling for biodiversity conservation.

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Bruce G. Marcot

2006-01-01

Habitat models address only 1 component of biodiversity but can be useful in addressing and managing single or multiple species and ecosystem functions, for projecting disturbance regimes, and in supporting decisions. I review categories and examples of habitat models, their utility for biodiversity conservation, and their roles in making conservation decisions. I...

Citizen Science as a Tool for Conservation in Residential Ecosystems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caren B. Cooper

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Human activities, such as mining, forestry, and agriculture, strongly influence processes in natural systems. Because conservation has focused on managing and protecting wildlands, research has focused on understanding the indirect influence of these human activities on wildlands. Although a conservation focus on wildlands is critically important, the concept of residential area as an ecosystem is relatively new, and little is known about the potential of such areas to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. As urban sprawl increases, it becomes urgent to construct a method to research and improve the impacts of management strategies for residential landscapes. If the cumulative activities of individual property owners could help conserve biodiversity, then residential matrix management could become a critical piece of the conservation puzzle. "Citizen science" is a method of integrating public outreach and scientific data collection locally, regionally, and across large geographic scales. By involving citizen participants directly in monitoring and active management of residential lands, citizen science can generate powerful matrix management efforts, defying the "tyranny of small decisions" and leading to positive, cumulative, and measurable impacts on biodiversity.

Image-derived biomarkers and multimodal imaging strategies for lung cancer management

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Sauter, Alexander W. [Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Tuebingen (Germany); Schwenzer, Nina; Pfannenberg, Christina [Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Divine, Mathew R.; Pichler, Bernd J. [Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Tuebingen (Germany)

2015-04-01

Non-small-cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. For this reason, advances in diagnosis and treatment are urgently needed. With the introduction of new, highly innovative hybrid imaging technologies such as PET/CT, staging and therapy response monitoring in lung cancer patients have substantially evolved. In this review, we discuss the role of FDG PET/CT in the management of lung cancer patients and the importance of new emerging imaging technologies and radiotracer developments on the path to personalized medicine. (orig.)

Remote Sensing Forage Quality for Browsing Herbivores: A Case Study of Cutting Edge Koala Conservation

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Youngentob, K. N.; Au, J.; Held, A. A.; Foley, W. J.; Possingham, H. P.

2014-12-01

Managing landscapes for conservation requires a capacity to measure habitat quality. Although multiple factors are often responsible for the distribution and abundance of herbivores, spatial variations in the quality and quantity of plant forage are known to be important for many species. While we cannot see the chemical complexity of landscapes with our naked-eye, advances in imaging spectroscopy are making it possible to assess the quality of forage on a landscape-scale. Much research in this area has focused on the ability to estimate foliar nitrogen (N), because N is believed to be a limiting nutrient for many leaf eating animals. However, the total quantity of foliar N does not necessarily reflect the amount of N that can be utilized by herbivores. Available nitrogen (AvailN) is an invitro measure of forage quality that integrates the influence of tannins and fibre on the amount of foliar N that is available for digestion by herbivores. This may be a more meaningful measure of forage quality than total N for the many herbivorous species that are sensitive to the effects of tannins. Our previous research has demonstrated that it is possible to estimate this integrated measure of foliar nutritional quality at an individual tree crown level across multiple tree species using imaging spectroscopy (HyMap). Here we present a case study of how this remote sensing data is being used to help inform landscape management and conservation decisions for an iconic Australian species, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). We review the methods involved in developing maps of integrated measures of foliar nutritional quality for browsing herbivores with airborne imaging spectroscopy data and discuss their applications for wildlife management.

The cultural significance as guide: the Arts Building and Cloister conservation and management plan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

César Bargues Ballester

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The Arts Building and Cloister (1963-1967 is a rare architecture that brings together building traditions of Japanese and Pennsylvanian influence with innovative engineering in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid roof. Designed by the Japanese­American architect and woodworker George Nakashima (1905-1990, the building is one of over a dozen residences, workshops and storages built on his property in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The complex and evolving relationship between the historical significance of the site and the furniture business prompted the preparation of a conservation and management plan to ensure its long-term protection and maintenance. This article summarizes the building’s design, its evolution and the main challenges of conservation of a place that is as much informed by its physical design as it is in accommodating its cultural significance as a center for peace and understanding through art and craft.

A Prospective Study of the Conservative Management of Asymptomatic Preoperative and Postoperative Gallbladder Disease in Bariatric Surgery.

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Pineda, Omar; Maydón, Hernán G; Amado, Mónica; Sepúlveda, Elisa M; Guilbert, Lizbeth; Espinosa, Omar; Zerrweck, Carlos

2017-01-01

Bariatric surgery is the most effective therapy for weight loss in patients with morbid obesity. One of the most common long-term complications includes cholelithiasis. There is not a clear consensus in how to treat an asymptomatic gallbladder disease before and after bariatric surgery. Prospective study with every patient submitted to bariatric surgery from 2012 to 2014. The gallbladder status was assessed with an ultrasound before and after surgery (12 months), and a conservative management was conducted for patients with asymptomatic disease (preoperative and de novo); the need for delayed cholecystectomy was reported. Secondarily, an analysis of weight loss (%EWL) and gallbladder status was performed. Two-hundred and two bariatric surgeries were performed. The global incidence of preoperative gallbladder disease was 34.3 %, with 14.2 % presenting sludge, 20.1 % asymptomatic gallstones, and 2.3 % symptomatic gallstones. The final analysis was based on 146 patients; female sex comprised 81.1 % of cases with a mean age of 38.5 years. After 12 months, de novo gallbladder disease was observed in 21.2 %. The overall rate of cholecystectomy because of symptomatic disease after 12 months was 3.4 % (2 % developed acute cholecystitis). There were no differences in %EWL between patients with de novo gallbladder disease and those without. Conservative management of asymptomatic gallbladder disease in candidates to bariatric surgery is safe and can be offered in every case, based on the low percentage of patients requiring further cholecystectomy after 12 months. Also, a conservative management can be offered to patients developing de novo sludge/cholelithiasis without related symptoms.

Predicting long-term renal damage in children with vesicoureteral reflux under conservative initial management: 205 cases in a tertiary referral center.

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Alvarez, Natalia; Alvira, Reyes Delgado; Ruiz, Yurema Gonzalez; Atuan, Rafael Fernandez; Hinojosa, Alexander Siles; Heras, Miguel Angel Rihuete; Roldan, Marisa Justa; Romero, Jesus Gracia

2018-01-01

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most common ailments in children. Evidence-based guidelines recommend conservative treatment in children with VUR, followed by endoscopic surgery in those with breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs). Despite this fact, the management of VUR is still controversial. Our objective is to evaluate the conservative strategy in children with primary VUR in terms of renal function and scarring, and identify factors associated with poor prognosis in those children. A retrospective study was carried out in a tertiary center in children with primary VUR under conservative strategy treatment from 1989 to 2015. Data extracted included age of presentation, family and prenatal backgrounds, radiographic evaluation including ultrasound (US), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans and voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). The SPSS program was used for statistical analysis. Two-hundred and five patients were diagnosed and followed a conservative therapy scheme (49.8% males, 50.2% females) after febrile UTI (73.17%) or prenatal diagnosis (26.83%). VCUG showed 53.20% of low-moderate VUR grade, 46.80% high VUR grade. Renal damage was present at diagnosis in 40.89%. Mean follow-up reakthrough recurrent febrile UTIs and underwent surgery. Conservative therapy was followed in 189 patients. Renal scarring or decreased kidney function were shown in 15.12% respectively. Renal damage was identified as a risk factor for poor prognosis (p-value Conservative strategy is a feasible treatment for primary VUR in children. The majority of cases could be managed conservatively with good outcomes after long-term follow-up. Decreased renal function is more frequent in patients with high-grade VUR. Renal damage at diagnosis increases the risk for surgical treatment.

Imaging in oral cancers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arya, Supreeta; Chaukar, Devendra; Pai, Prathamesh

2012-01-01

Oral cavity squamous cell cancers form a significant percentage of the cancers seen in India. While clinical examination allows direct visualization, it cannot evaluate deep extension of disease. Cross-sectional imaging has become the cornerstone in the pretreatment evaluation of these cancers and provides accurate information about the extent and depth of disease that can help decide the appropriate management strategy and indicate prognosis. Early cancers are treated with a single modality, either surgery or radiotherapy while advanced cancers are offered a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Imaging can decide resectability, help plan the precise extent of resection, and indicate whether organ conservation therapy should be offered. Quality of life issues necessitate preservation of form and function and pretreatment imaging helps plan appropriate reconstruction and counsel patients regarding lifestyle changes. Oral cavity has several subsites and the focus of the review is squamous cancers of the gingivobuccal region, oral tongue and retromolar trigone as these are most frequently encountered in the subcontinent. References for this review were identified by searching Medline and PubMed databases. Only articles published in English language literature were selected. This review aims to familiarize the radiologist with the relevant anatomy of the oral cavity, discuss the specific issues that influence prognosis and management at the above subsites, the optimal imaging methods, the role of imaging in accurately staging these cancers and in influencing management. A checklist for reporting will emphasize the information to be conveyed by the radiologist

Optimal fire histories for biodiversity conservation.

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Kelly, Luke T; Bennett, Andrew F; Clarke, Michael F; McCarthy, Michael A

2015-04-01

Fire is used as a management tool for biodiversity conservation worldwide. A common objective is to avoid population extinctions due to inappropriate fire regimes. However, in many ecosystems, it is unclear what mix of fire histories will achieve this goal. We determined the optimal fire history of a given area for biological conservation with a method that links tools from 3 fields of research: species distribution modeling, composite indices of biodiversity, and decision science. We based our case study on extensive field surveys of birds, reptiles, and mammals in fire-prone semi-arid Australia. First, we developed statistical models of species' responses to fire history. Second, we determined the optimal allocation of successional states in a given area, based on the geometric mean of species relative abundance. Finally, we showed how conservation targets based on this index can be incorporated into a decision-making framework for fire management. Pyrodiversity per se did not necessarily promote vertebrate biodiversity. Maximizing pyrodiversity by having an even allocation of successional states did not maximize the geometric mean abundance of bird species. Older vegetation was disproportionately important for the conservation of birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Because our method defines fire management objectives based on the habitat requirements of multiple species in the community, it could be used widely to maximize biodiversity in fire-prone ecosystems. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Conservation and Sustainable Development: Linking Practice and ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2012-01-01

Jan 1, 2012 ... Book cover Conservation and Sustainable Development: Linking ... to have an influence on conservation and natural resource management. ... Call for new OWSD Fellowships for Early Career Women Scientists now open.

Conservative management of anal and rectal cancer. The role of radiation therapy

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