Designing data collection for decision-making: shaping the coastal First Nations regional monitoring system to meet the needs of the Nations

The Coastal First Nations (CFN) Regional Monitoring System (RMS) was redeveloped to support decisions related to threats to ecological and cultural values, resulting from changes to existing and impending resource use on the North and Central Coast of British Columbia. As First Nations reassert their governance authority, participate in shared decision-making with other governments, undertake land and marine use planning, and manage their territories and resources, the need for coordinated regional monitoring efforts are increasingly important. We used a systematic and inclusive strategy to determine a suitable monitoring approach to meet the needs of a diverse group of Nations across a broad geographic region. Linking data collection to decision-making and planning processes was central to our strategy. We began with engaging individuals at each Nation’s resource management office to gain a comprehensive understanding of the monitoring activities undertaken, the data being collected, the data desired, and the way data are used to support decision-making and planning processes. Concurrently, we worked with the member Nations to develop a decision-making framework to identify the monitoring activities best suited for the RMS based on the goals of the system. Applying the framework to the suite of monitoring activities being undertaken or desired resulted in a suite of monitoring activities that was further refined in a workshop with the Nations. We produced monitoring cards for each monitoring activity, which detail the monitoring research question(s), the data to collect, the sampling design and data collection protocols, and the decision-making and planning processes the data support. The RMS is designed to be adaptable as new priorities emerge. It is the only system of its kind on the coast of British Columbia, and it is increasingly looked to as a model for how First Nations-led monitoring programs can inform planning and decision-making processes

Skeletal immaturity, rostral sparing, and disparate hip morphologies as biomechanical causes for Legg-Calvé-Perthes’ disease

Legg-Calvé-Perthes' (Perthes') disease is a developmental disease of the hip joint that may result in numerous short and long term problems. The etiology of the disease remains largely unknown, but the mechanism is believed to be vascular and/or biomechanical in nature. There are several anatomical characteristics that tend to be prevalent in children with Perthes' disease, namely: skeletal immaturity, reduced height, and rostral sparing. We present an overview of the literature, summarizing the current understanding of the pathogenesis, particularly related to how the formation of the vasculature to the femoral epiphysis places children aged 5–8 at a higher risk for Perthes' disease, how skeletal immaturity and rostral sparing could increase the probability of developing Perthes' disease, and how animal models have aided our understanding of the disease. In doing so, we also explore why Perthes' disease is correlated to latitude, with populations at higher latitudes having higher incidence rates than populations closer to the Equator. Finally, we present five hypotheses detailing how Perthes' disease could have a biomechanical cause. Clin. Anat. 29:759–772, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc