Mapping priority marine habitats : knowledge of their ecosystem to underpin the marine planning process

Marine planners need to know about ecosystems, such as Priority Marine Habitats (PMHs) in order to manage and conserve them effectively. The overarching theme of this thesis is to contribute to this knowledge through the development of “marine planning tools”. The primary focus is on the PMH, Modiolus modiolus beds, although other PMHs and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) were also considered. Four key studies were designed and conducted, i) Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) of M. modiolus in UK waters; ii) SDM of PMHs in Europe; iii) assessment of MPA management effort; and iv) the genetic connectivity of M. modiolus beds Overall, the research provided information and knowledge to contribute to implementation of a truly ecosystem-based approach to management and effective PMH management. It is now known: i) where Modiolus modiolus beds occur; ii) where they have the potential to occur, now and in the future; iii) that there is the potential for them to be lost/ hindered or lack-viability if ocean temperatures increase; iv) that they may become more important to conservation at northern latitudes in the future; v) that European nations will have to work towards integrated marine conservation policies and protection when considering all PMHs; vi) that some MPAs may require more effort to manage than others and that it may be possible to predict which ones they will be; vii) that cumulative human impacts may not be the driving force for management effort; and viii) that some M. modiolus beds in the UK are potentially connected. The data and discussion points generated within this thesis will enable effective PMH management through the selection of appropriate management strategies

Predictive habitat modelling as a tool to assess the change in distribution and extent of an OSPAR priority habitat under an increased ocean temperature scenario:consequences for marine protected area networks and management

The aims of this study were to determine the extent and distribution of an OSPAR priority habitat under current baseline ocean temperatures; to illustrate the prospect for habitat loss under a changing ocean temperature scenario; and to demonstrate the potential application of predictive habitat mapping in "future-proofing" conservation and biodiversity management. Maxent modelling and GIS environmental envelope analysis of the biogenic bed forming species, Modiolus modiolus was carried out. The Maxent model was tested and validated using 75%/25% training/test occurrence records and validated against two sampling biases (the whole study area and a 20km buffer). The model was compared to the envelope analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Area Under the curve; AUC) was evaluated. The performance of the Maxent model was rated as 'good' to 'excellent' on all replicated runs and low variation in the runs was recorded from the AUC values. The extent of "most suitable", "less suitable" and "unsuitable" habitat was calculated for the baseline year (2009) and the projected increased ocean temperature scenarios (2030, 2050, 2080 and 2100). A loss of 100% of "most suitable" habitat was reported by 2080. Maintaining a suitable level of protection of marine habitats/species of conservation importance may require management of the decline and migration rather than maintenance of present extent. Methods applied in this study provide the initial application of a plausible "conservation management tool"

Adaptive management, international co-operation and planning for marine conservation hotspots in a changing climate

Acknowledgements This work received funding from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland) and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (Grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Automated Image Analysis of Offshore Infrastructure Marine Biofouling

Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/6/1/2/s1 Acknowledgments: This project was funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) project No.: NE/N019865/1. The authors would like to thank Melanie Netherway and Don Orr, from our project partner (company requested to remain anonymous) for the provision of survey footage and for supporting the project. In addition, many thanks to Oscar Beijbom, University California Berkley for providing guidance and support to the project. Additional thanks to Calum Reay, Bibby Offshore; George Gair, Subsea 7; and Alan Buchan, Wood Group Kenny for help with footage collection and for allowing us to host workshops with them and their teams, their feedback and insights were very much appreciated.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Reviewing the epidemiology of head and neck cancer: definitions, trends and risk factors:definitions, trends and risk factors

Introduction Head and neck cancer appears to be increasing in incidence, with potential changes in aetiology proposed. This paper aims to provide a narrative overview of the epidemiological literature to describe the disease burden and trends in terms of incidence and mortality both in the UK and globally and to review the evidence on current risk factors. Methods A search was performed on multiple databases (PubMed and Epistemonikos), applying filters to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses which investigated head and neck cancer incidence, mortality and risk factors. International and UK cancer registries and sources were searched for incidence and mortality data. Results Multiple definitions of head and neck cancer are employed in epidemiology. Globally, incidence rates have increased in recent decades, largely driven by oropharyngeal cancer. Mortality rates over the last decade have also started to rise, reflecting the disease incidence and static survival rates. Major risk factors include tobacco smoking alone and in combination with alcohol consumption, betel chewing (particularly in Southeast Asian populations) and the human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal cancer. Conclusions These epidemiological data can inform clinical and preventive service planning for head and neck cancer

Bottom-up formulations for the multi-criteria decision analysis of oil and gas pipeline decommissioning in the North Sea : Brent field case study

Peer reviewe

First port of call : a horizon scanning workshop for sustainable Arctic marine infrastructure

Funding Information: The “Scanning the Horizon: Identifying challenges, knowledge gaps and opportunities for sustainable development of port infrastructure for the Arctic’s Shipping Routes” workshop was funded by the Scottish Government’s Arctic Connection Fund; ref No. ACF21-02 ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/arctic-connections-fund-successful-projects/ ) and supported by the EU Horizon 2020 Funded ePICenter project, grant agreement No. 861584 ( https://epicenterproject.eu/ ). The authors would like to thank Jan Dusik of WWF Arctic programme for his considerable contribution to the project proposal and submission, workshop planning and facilitation; Anthony Field, WWF UK for reviewing the workshop report; and Andrea Norgren, WWF Arctic Programme for her help with social media and dissemination of the workshop outputs. In addition, the authors would like to thank the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland is funded by the Scottish Funding Council; grant ref No. HR09011) and contributing institutions) and Hannah Ladd-Jones for their support, provision of the workshop online platform and assistance with workshop facilitation. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Reviewing the epidemiology of head and neck cancer: definitions, trends and risk factors

Introduction Head and neck cancer appears to be increasing in incidence, with potential changes in aetiology proposed. This paper aims to provide a narrative overview of the epidemiological literature to describe the disease burden and trends in terms of incidence and mortality both in the UK and globally and to review the evidence on current risk factors.Methods A search was performed on multiple databases (PubMed and Epistemonikos), applying filters to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses which investigated head and neck cancer incidence, mortality and risk factors. International and UK cancer registries and sources were searched for incidence and mortality data.Results Multiple definitions of head and neck cancer are employed in epidemiology. Globally, incidence rates have increased in recent decades, largely driven by oropharyngeal cancer. Mortality rates over the last decade have also started to rise, reflecting the disease incidence and static survival rates. Major risk factors include tobacco smoking alone and in combination with alcohol consumption, betel chewing (particularly in Southeast Asian populations) and the human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal cancer.Conclusions These epidemiological data can inform clinical and preventive service planning for head and neck cancer

Pengaruh Perceived Service Quality Terhadap Unibrand Performance Melalui Satisfaction Pada Universitas Swasta

This study refers to an earlier study that has been done by Sultan & Wong (2014). The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of Perceived Service Quality on the UniBrand Performance through Satisfaction in Private Universities. The design of this research is hypothesis testing using primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires directly to the 200 respondents who were active students of Private Universities in Jakarta. The analytical method used is Structure Equation Model (SEM). The result of this research conclude that there is a significant and positive relation between Perceived Service Quality and Satisfaction. There is a significant and positive relation between Satisfaction and UniBrand Performance. There is a significant and positive relation between Perceived Service Quality and UniBrand Performance

Genetic Connectivity and Diversity of a Protected, Habitat-Forming Species:Evidence Demonstrating the Need for Wider Environmental Protection and Integration of the Marine Protected Area Network

Funding Information: This work was largely funded by Heriot-Watt University (James Watt Scholarship) and NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage). Additional funding was received from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland) and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS was funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD