Assessing the cumulative environmental effects of marine renewable energy developments: establishing common ground

Assessing and managing the cumulative impacts of human activities on the environment remains a major challenge to sustainable development. This challenge is highlighted by the worldwide expansion of marine renewable energy developments (MREDs) in areas already subject to multiple activities and climate change. Cumulative effects assessments in theory provide decision makers with adequate information about how the environment will respond to the incremental effects of licensed activities and are a legal requirement in many nations. In practise, however, such assessments are beset by uncertainties resulting in substantial delays during the licensing process that reduce MRED investor confidence and limit progress towards meeting climate change targets. In light of these targets and ambitions to manage the marine environment sustainably, reducing the uncertainty surrounding MRED effects and cumulative effects assessment are timely and vital. This review investigates the origins and evolution of cumulative effects assessment to identify why the multitude of approaches and pertinent research have emerged, and discusses key considerations and challenges relevant to assessing the cumulative effects of MREDs and other activities on ecosystems. The review recommends a shift away from the current reliance on disparate environmental impact assessments and limited strategic environmental assessments, and a move towards establishing a common system of coordinated data and research relative to ecologically meaningful areas, focussed on the needs of decision makers tasked with protecting and conserving marine ecosystems and services

Enhancing the value of adaptation reporting as a driver for action: lessons from the UK

As increasing evidence shows that the risks of climate change are mounting, there is a call for further climate action (both reducing global emissions, and adaptation to better manage the risks of climate change). To promote and enable adaptation, governments have introduced, or are considering introducing, reporting on climate risks and efforts being taken to address those risks. This paper reports on an analysis of the first two rounds of such reports submitted under the UK Climate Change Act (2008) Adaptation Reporting Power. It highlights benefits and challenges for reporting authorities and policymakers receiving the reports that could also inform other countries considering such reporting. For reporting authorities, benefits arise from the reporting process and resulting reports. These benefits include elevating climate risks and adaptation to the corporate level and with stakeholders, alongside facilitating alignment and integration of actions within existing risk management and governance structures. For policymakers, reporting provides enhanced understanding of climate risks and actions from a bottom-up perspective that can be integrated into national-level assessments and adaptation planning processes. The identified challenges are those related to capacity and process. These include limited risk and adaptation assessment capacities; relevance of climate change risks and adaptation in the context of other urgent risks and actions; reporting process effectiveness and robustness; and the provision of effective and sufficiently comprehensive support, including feedback

Fascioliasis in Cattle and Goat Slaughtered at Calabar Abattoirs

The occurrence of fascioliasis among trade ruminants (cattle and goat) slaughtered at Calabar abattoirs was investigated using centrifugal method, haemocytometer and histological preparations for fecal, blood and liver tissue examinations respectively. One hundred and seventy nine (44.8%) of 400 cattle and 126 (36.0%) of 350 goat respectively had fascioliasis. Parasite intensity ranged between 8 - 10 flukes per liver of infected cattle and 4 - 5 flukes per liver of infected goat. Infected liver of the two ruminants were damaged. Damaged Hepatic parenchyma resulting in severe haemorrhage, thickening and gross fibrosis of bile duct were observed. Dislodge hepatic cells became wandering cells amidst macrophages within the sinusoid. The central vein of cattle infected by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica was enlarged and laden with debris resulting in obstruction of liver function such as protein synthesis. This caused the liver to be rejected. Seven to seventeen percent of infected cattle liver and2 – 7% of infected goat liver were discarded. Excessive leucocytosis with marked eosinophilia was observed in infected animal blood. It is important to examine carcasses of ruminants slaughtered in abattoirs before presentation for public consumption

Effect of detergent and sawdust addition on hydrocarbon reduction and growth of Abelmoschus esculentus L (Okra) in a petroleum-contaminated soil

A study to investigate the effect of sawdust and detergent on hydrocarbon reduction and the growth of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) in petroleum polluted soil was carried out. The study was conducted at the Centre for Ecological Studies, University of Port Harcourt. Bonny light crude (300 ml) was used to pollute 10 kg soil. Detergent (20 g), sawdust (200 g) and sawdust: detergent (200 g: 20 g) were used as the amendment materials alongside a control (pollution but un-remediated) arranged in a completely randomized design of 12 replications. After 30 days post-amendment, 3 seeds of okra (var: V35-45 days) were grown in each treatment pot for 6 weeks. Soil Total Hydrocarbon Content (THC) and okra growth performance (shoot length, leaf number, root length, total fresh weight, dry weight, leaf area and leaf area ratio) were analyzed. Results showed significant (p=0.05) reductions in THC of 44.23%, 26.5%, 70.80% and 10.79%, in detergent (20 g), sawdust (200 g), sawdust (200 g) + detergent (20 g) and control, respectively. Improved growth performances of okra were observed in the amended soil as compared to the control. Okra growth performance was in the order of: 200 g sawdust + 20 g detergent combination > 200 g sawdust > 20 g detergent. This implies that these two materials are good bio-stimulation materials especially when used in combined form for THC reduction and growth of okra.Keywords: Abelmoschus esculentus L., contamination, crude oil, sawdust, total hydrocarbon conten

Literal Level of Student's Comprehension in Nigeria: A Means for Growing a New Generation African Scholars

The concern of this study was to examine students’ attainment in literal level of reading comprehension under reading for exact meaning, for information and for gist in a text. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide in the study. An expost-facto research design was also employed. The researcher used an adapted Literal Reading Comprehension Test (LRCAT) for data collection. Out of a population of 1,803 SS2 students in Uyo L.G.A, 109 students formed the sample by  a stratified and  a hart and draw simple random sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using the mean, standard deviation and paired dependent t-test.The mean score of students in reading for exact meaning was higher than reading for information and gist. The major findings were that with a df of 108 there is significant difference in students’ mean attainment scores in reading for exact meaning and reading for information. Also, there is significant difference in students’ mean attainment scores of reading for exact meaning and reading for gist. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that, learners should consciously be taught how to develop their literal reading comprehension in order to encourage the acquisition of other comprehension levels at the senior secondary level, if  comprehension must have been attained. Keywords: Literal Reading Comprehension, Reading for Gist, Reading for Informatio

Organic Pork Production: A Two-litter Pasture Farrow-to-Finish Budget

The production of organic pigs and its profit potential depend on many factors. The main factors are the amount of feed required and price of feed. The amount of feed required is dependent on the genetics, management, and the health of pigs. Under organic regulations, pigs must be raised without synthetic parasite control and will probably develop parasites. This will slow the rate of gain, and increase required feed; thereby lowering feed efficiency. The price of organic feeds is higher than conventional feeds. Based on current organic feed prices and feed efficiency of approximately 4 lb feed/gain, the breakeven cost of production was calculated to be $55/cwt live

Solitary Mandibular Lesion as the Presenting Sign of Multiple Myeloma: A Rare Case Report

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a rare hematological malignancy caused by monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells in the marrow of various bones. It is more common in men in the sixth and seventh decade of life. Patients usually present with bone pain, fatigue, recurrent infections, renal failure and nervous system dysfunction. Rarely, oral lesions may be the initial sign of multiple myeloma presenting with pain, jaw swelling, tooth mobility, multiple punched out radiolucencies and parasthesia. A case of multiple myeloma occurring in a 71 year old male patient who presented with a solitary lesion in the mandible is presented here. This paper highlights the importance of knowing oral manifestations of multiple myeloma and interdisciplinary approach required for early diagnosis

Sampling a Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting and Boat Electrofishing

We compared small-mesh (4-mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small-bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large-bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic shiner Notropis volucellus, and bluntnose minnow Pimephales notatus, whereas species associated with electrofishing included the Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, catostomids (Moxostoma spp. and Catostomus spp.), freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, walleye Sander vitreus, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, and common carp Cyprinus carpio. The total length of fish captured by electrofishing was 12.8 cm (95% confidence interval ¼ 5.5– 17.2 cm) greater than that of fish captured by fyke netting. Size selectivity of the gears contributed to differences in species composition of the fish captured, supporting our initial hypothesis. Thus, small-mesh fyke nets and boat electrofishers provided complementary information on a littoral fish assemblage. Our results support use of multiple gear types in monitoring and research surveys of fish assemblages. Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007, Originally published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27: 825-831, 2007