Assessing California commercial fishing community well-being in the context of marine protected area (MPA) formation

Marine protected areas (MPAs)—defined geographic areas where fishing and harvesting activity is limited or restricted—have emerged as a popular marine biodiversity and climate resilience strategy worldwide. MPA monitoring efforts often follow MPA designation to help inform the adaptive management of MPAs and MPA networks. In 2012, California completed the largest statewide system of MPAs to date, consisting of 124 MPAs covering 16% of state waters. Following MPA implementation, the state initiated a long-term monitoring program (2019-2022) to help inform the 10-year MPA management review. This two-chapter thesis presents findings from a state-funded project to conduct long-term socioeconomic monitoring for human uses of the MPA network. Chapter 1 describes the novel methodological framework we developed to assess commercial fishing community well-being in relation to long-term MPA management in California. To address the need for standardized, contextual data—and the unique context, scale, and budget constraints of this study—we conducted mixed-methods focus groups with commercial fishing “community-experts” in 18 major California ports/port groups. The focus groups followed a structured, deliberative format that yielded both quantitative and qualitative data. Participants were asked to rate and discuss 15 questions related to fishing community well-being and outcomes from MPAs. Due to pandemic conditions at the time of data collection, focus groups were held over Zoom. Chapter 1 goes on to demonstrate the capabilities of the approach, including the type of data collected and adjustments made in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and discusses participant feedback on the virtual process and lessons learned from the project team’s perspective. Chapter 2 offers an in-depth exploration of the major findings gleaned from the focus group approach discussed in Chapter 1. Results indicated that fishing communities across California were experiencing challenges in their environmental, economic, and social well-being. Results did vary at the port/port group level, suggesting that well-being conditions were uneven across fishing communities. A majority of participants expressed negative views about ecological and livelihood outcomes of MPAs and dissatisfaction with the management of the California MPA network. While MPAs were not reported as the cause of the well-being challenges revealed in the results, focus group data suggested MPAs had interacted with and—in many cases—exacerbated pre-existing well-being challenges, many of which had arisen from structural shortcomings in California fisheries. This study contributes to the growing yet small literature and methodologies on the linkage between community well-being and MPAs, and demonstrates the strengths and capabilities of using a well-being approach for long-term socioeconomic monitoring and adaptive management of MPAs and MPA networks like that in California

Analisis Capaian Kinerja Pelaksanaan Anggaran Penerapan Aplikasi Electronic Monitoring Pelaksanaan Anggaran (e-MPA)

This study aim to examine and found the empirical evidence the consistancy between budget absorption and realization after the implementation of Electronic Monitoring Budget Execution aplication (e-MPA) at Ministry of Religion working unit at Lampung Province. This study use 4.416 population data for the period of 2012 until 2013 before the implementation of e-MPA aplication and the period of 2015 until 2016 after the implementation of e-MPA aplication. Data used are secondary data obtained by accessing the site http://www.kemenag.go.id. The data analyzed using differentiation test with statistical test tool SPSS 22. The result shows that there is a difference of consistancy of budget absorption and there is also a difference on budget realization after the implementation of e-MPA aplication.the difference occured is the decreasing on statistic result of absorption consistancy and absorption realization for budgeting that indicates there is no goal congruence caused by communication pattern, information support, and uncorrect guidelines comprehension for e-MPA aplication.     &nbsp

Do we need to worry about mycophenolate overdose?

Introduction: To discuss the significance of the recent observational case series from the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre (STIC). Mycophenolic acid (MPA) and its prodrug mycophenolate mofetil are immunosuppressive agents that are frequently prescribed in renal transplant recipients, and their safety profiles must be established. Areas covered: This case series and systemic literature analysis consists of 15 cases of MPA overdose from the STIC and a systemic analysis of the literature over the past 18 years. This study focuses on acute overdosing, the effects of which are presumably mild. In contrast, the effects of long-term overdosing may be much more severe. Substantial underreporting is likely. The pharmacokinetic monitoring of MPA is rarely performed, which is both striking and does not coincide with findings in academic literature. The scant data on pharmacokinetic monitoring presented demonstrated that MPA has a short terminal half-life, which suggests that decontamination and activated charcoal treatment in acute overdose may not be necessary. Expert opinion: The case series and systematic literature analysis of acute mycophenolate overdose represent an important contribution toward increasing the safety of MPA therapy. © 2014 Informa UK, Ltd

Prestress loss of post-tensioned clay diaphragm and fin brickwork

Unlike calcium silicate and concrete block masonry which undergo shrinkage with time, clay brickwork has been known to expand instead. Expansion of brick units in prestressed masonry will cause an increase in the prestressing force instead of prestress loss. However, not all clay brickwork expand with time; higher strength clay units tend to undergo shrinkage with time. The main objective of this paper is to present experimental data obtained for prestress loss in post-tensioned high strength clay diaphragm and fin brickwork. The main objective of this paper is to present experimental data obtained for prestress loss in posttensioned high strength clay diaphragm and fin brickwork. The brickwork were built from clmisB clay engineering brick with compressive strength of 103 MPa with designation (ii) mortar. The tests which involve monitoring prestress loss, creep and shrinkage of clay sections were carried out over a period of 120 days. Usiog the 120-day experimental data, the predicted long-term prestress loss is 20

Embedding Ocean Conservation into California's DNA

This GrantCraft case study, developed for Foundation Center's FundingtheOcean.org portal, explores how The Campbell Foundation, a supporter of marine conservation in California, helped implement a state law calling for the creation of marine protected areas in the state. It includes the perspective of one of it's grantees helping with this initiative, the Resources Legacy Fund, and how they worked together with other foundations and grantees to enact and implement California's Marine Life Protection Act

Issues Arising on the Interface of MPAs and Fisheries Management

One of 6 background papers presented at The Expert Workshop on Marine Protected Areas and Fisheries Management: Review of Issues and Considerations held in Rome from June 12-14, 2006. The workshop was a response to the FAO Committee on Fisheries' call for technical guidelines for marine protected areas (MPAs) to assist Members to establish representative networks of MPAs by 2012, as agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. This paper focuses on three key themes. First, it highlights the commonalities between discussions of marine protected areas and of fisheries management, with emphasis on their mutual use of spatial measures and ecosystem approaches. Second, the paper draws on the other Background Papers prepared for the Workshop, as well as a range of additional literature, to produce a substantial compilation of issues and considerations relating to the development and implementation of MPAs, within a fisheries management context. The third key theme of the paper is a focus on the 'preliminary steps' of decision-making, in which scoping of needs, gaps and feasibility takes place from the dual perspectives of MPAs and fisheries management. A relative paucity of information and analysis on this topic is noted, along with a consequent need for additional work on the subject. An initial effort is undertaken to explore the key decision-making elements in this 'preliminary stage'

Grenada Carriacou Petite Martinique

The Eastern Caribbean Seascape is an arc of islands linked through diverse coral reef ecosystems, oceanic currents, migratory pathways and a rich cultural heritage. The Eastern Caribbean Coral Reef Report Cards are a series of individual reports for the6 participating countries and provide an easy-to-understand summary of the state of the region's marine resources. The Report Cards collate data from 277 comparable coral reef surveys and map in detail 383 km2 of coral reefs, 19 km2 of mangrove, 286 km2 of seagrass, 44 designated and 50 proposed Marine Managed Areas (MMA). The Report Cards provide an initial baseline on the current state of the reef and identify gaps. Reporting this type of information will help track progress in protecting reefs and inform future monitoring and management. The vision is to produce report cards every 2 years and share data through the CaribNode regional spatial data platform. Future report cards will include key socioeconomic and management effectiveness information. Each Report Card includes information on:Key Habitats (location and extent of coral, mangrove, seagrass)Reef Health Index (a measure of the health of four key coral reef indicators)Marine Managed Areas (size and location of designated and proposed areas

Correlation of Solid Dosage Porosity and Tensile Strength with Acoustically Extracted Mechanical Properties

Currently, the compressed tablet and its oral administration is the most popular drug delivery modality in medicine. The accurate porosity and tensile strength characterization of a tablet design is vital for predicting its performance such as disintegration, dissolution, and drug-release efficiency upon administration as well as ensuring its mechanical integrity. In current work, a non-destructive contact ultrasonic approach and an associated testing procedure are presented and employed to quantify and relate the acoustically extracted mechanical properties of pharmaceutical compacts to direct porosity and tensile strength measurements. Based on a comprehensive set of experimental data, it is demonstrated how strongly the acoustic wave propagation is modulated and correlated to the tablet porosity and tensile strength of a compact made using spray-dried lactose and microcrystalline cellulose with varying mixture ratios. The effect of mixing ratio on the porosity and tensile strength on the resulting compacts is quantified and, with the acoustic experimental data, mixing ratio is related to the compact ultrasonic characteristics. The ultrasonic techniques provide a rapid, non-destructive means for evaluating compacts in formulation development and manufacturing. The presented approach and data could find critical applications in continuous tablet manufacturing, its real-time quality monitoring, as well as minimizing batch-to-batch quality variations

PCA based stress monitoring of cylindrical specimens using PZTs and guidedwaves

Since mechanical stress in structures affects issues such as strength, expected operational life and dimensional stability, a continuous stress monitoring scheme is necessary for a complete integrity assessment. Consequently, this paper proposes a stress monitoring scheme for cylindrical specimens, which are widely used in structures such as pipelines, wind turbines or bridges. The approach consists of tracking guided wave variations due to load changes, by comparing wave statistical patterns via Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Each load scenario is projected to the PCA space by means of a baseline model and represented using the Q-statistical indices. Experimental validation of the proposed methodology is conducted on two specimens: (i) a 12.7 mm (1/2”) diameter, 0.4 m length, AISI 1020 steel rod, and (ii) a 25.4 mm (1”) diameter, 6m length, schedule 40, A-106, hollow cylinder. Specimen 1 was subjected to axial loads, meanwhile specimen 2 to flexion. In both cases, simultaneous longitudinal and flexural guided waves were generated via piezoelectric devices (PZTs) in a pitch-catch configuration. Experimental results show the feasibility of the approach and its potential use as in-situ continuous stress monitoring application.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version