Ontogeny of juvenile freshwater pearl mussels, Margaritifera margaritifera (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae).

The gills of juvenile freshwater bivalves undergo a complex morphogenesis that may correlate with changes in feeding ecology, but ontogenic studies on juvenile mussels are rare. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the ultrastructure and ontogeny of 117 juvenile freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) ranging in age from 1–44 months and length from 0.49–8.90 mm. Three stages of gill development are described. In Stage 1 (5–9 inner demibranch filaments), only unreflected inner demibranch filaments were present. In Stage 2 (9–17 inner demibranch filaments), inner demibranch filaments began to reflect when shell length exceeded 1.13 mm, at 13–16 months old. Reflection began in medial filaments and then proceeded anterior and posterior. In Stage 3 (28–94 inner demibranch filaments), outer demibranch filaments began developing at shell length > 3.1 mm and about 34 months of age. The oral groove on the inner demibranch was first observed in 34 month old specimens > 2.66 mm but was never observed on the outer demibranch. Shell length (R2 = 0.99) was a better predictor of developmental stage compared to age (R2 = 0.84). The full suite of gill ciliation was present on filaments in all stages. Interfilamentary distance averaged 31.3 μm and did not change with age (4–44 months) or with size (0.75–8.9 mm). Distance between laterofrontal cirri couplets averaged 1.54 μm and did not change significantly with size or age. Labial palp primordia were present in even the youngest individuals but ciliature became more diverse in more developed individuals. Information presented here is valuable to captive rearing programmes as it provides insight in to when juveniles may be particularly vulnerable to stressors due to specific ontogenic changes. The data are compared with two other recent studies of Margaritifera development.N/

A Data Protection by Design Model for Privacy Management in Electronic Health Records

Privacy by design (PbD) is considered an international principle for privacy protection. For understanding and applying a PbD legal provision, the context of the data processing is essential. This paper intends to analyse the data protection by design (DPbD) legal obligation in the European framework and investigate how it can be implemented in the context of e-health for Electronic Health Records. The PbD approach may play a pivotal role in this sector to fulfil the requirements of the law and to better protect the rights of the data subjects. To fulfil these goals, to understand the deeper meaning of the concept and to evaluate the approach itself, the paper conducts a theoretical legal analysis on PbD and critically compares the edges, the benefits, the challenges and the disadvantages. As the chosen legal framework is that of the European Union, the DPbD legal obligation established by the GDPR will be examined. The paper first gives a brief overview of the applicable EU legal framework for EHRs. Settled this context, the paper proposes a comprehensive DPbD model for the privacy management with technical and organisational measures to be implemented in EHRs. The purpose is to provide more guidance for data controllers and developers on how to comply with the DPbD obligation

Personal Data Protection in Nigeria: Reflections on Opportunities, Options and Challenges to Legal Reforms

The right to personal data protection is, without doubt, an important right in the jurisprudence of rights in the contemporary information society. It is becoming as crucial as other orthodox human rights and also attracting significant attention from academics, lawyers, human rights activists and policy makers. In spite of the growing attention data protection receives at international and regional levels, Nigeria is still lagging behind many competitor states like South Africa in establishing an effective legal framework to protect personal data. Individuals‟ personal data is being collected and used without any serious form of control to check against abuse. This paper reflects on opportunities, option and challenges to legal reforms on data protection in Nigeria. It contends that certain legislative and practical challenges stand in the way of an effective legal regime on personal data protection. The paper suggests appropriate legal reforms that are needed to enable prevent the increasing risks of violating the right to data protection in a country that is making rapid advances in Information and Communication Technology but hamstrung by an outdated regulatory framework.http://link.springer.com/journal/109912018-07-30hb2017Centre for Human Right