SNIFFER WFD119: Enhancement of the River Invertebrate Classification Tool (RICT)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project funders/partners: Environment Agency (EA), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Scotland & Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Background to research The Regulatory Agencies in the UK (the Environment Agency; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency) now use the River Invertebrate Classification Tool (RICT) to classify the ecological quality of rivers for Water Framework Directive compliance monitoring. RICT incorporates RIVPACS IV predictive models and is a highly capable tool written in a modern software programming language. While RICT classifies waters for general degradation and organic pollution stress, producing assessments of status class and uncertainty, WFD compliance monitoring also requires the UK Agencies to assess the impacts of a wide range of pressures including hydromorphological and acidification stresses. Some of these pressures alter the predictor variables that current RIVPACS models use to derive predicted biotic indices. This project has sought to broaden the scope of RICT by developing one or more RIVPACS model(s) that do not use predictor variables that are affected by these stressors, but instead use alternative GIS based variables that are wholly independent of these pressures. This project has also included a review of the wide range of biotic indices now available in RICT, identifying published sources, examining index performance, and where necessary making recommendations on further needs for index testing and development. Objectives of research •To remove and derive alternative predictive variables that are not affected by stressors, with particular emphasis on hydrological/acidification metric predictors. •To construct one or more new RIVPACS model(s) using stressor independent variables. •Review WFD reporting indices notably AWIC(species), LIFE (species), PSI & WHPT. Key findings and recommendations : Predictor variables and intellectual property rights : An extensive suite of new variables have been derived by GIS for the RIVPACS reference sites that have been shown to act as stressor-independent predictor variables. These include measures of stream order, solid and drift geology, and a range of upstream catchment characteristics (e.g. catchment area, mean altitude of upstream catchment, and catchment aspect). It is recommended that decisions are reached on which of the newly derived model(s) are implemented in RICT so that IPR issues for the relevant datasets can be quickly resolved and the datasets licensed. It is also recommended that licensing is sought for a point and click system (where the dataset cannot be reverse engineered) that is capable of calculating any of the time-invariant RIVPACS environmental predictor variables used by any of the newly derived (and existing) RIVPACS models, and for any potential users. New stressor-independent RIVPACS models : Using the existing predictor variables, together with new ones derived for their properties of stressor-independence, initial step-wise forward selection discriminant models suggested a range of 36 possible models that merited further testing. Following further testing, the following models are recommended for assessing watercourses affected by flow/hydromorphological and/or acidity stress: • For flow/hydromorphological stressors that may have modified width, depth and/or substrate in GB, it is suggested that a new ‘RIVPACS IV – Hydromorphology Independent’ model (Model 24) is used (this does not use the predictor variables width, depth and substratum, but includes a suite of new stressor-independent variables). • For acidity related stressors in GB, it is suggested that a new ‘RIVPACS IV – Alkalinity Independent’ model (Model 35) is used (this does not use the predictor variable alkalinity, but includes new stressor-independent variables). • For flow/hydromorphological stressors and acidity related stressors in GB, it is suggested that a new ‘RIVPACS IV – Hydromorphology & Alkalinity Independent’ model (Model 13) is used (this does not use the predictor variables width, depth, substratum and alkalinity, but includes a suite of new stressor-independent variables). • Reduced availability of appropriate GIS tools at this time has meant that no new models have been developed for Northern Ireland. Discriminant functions and end group means have now been calculated to enable any of these models to be easily implemented in the RICT software. Biotic indices : The RIVPACS models in RICT can now produce expected values for a wide range of biotic indices addressing a variety of stressors. These indices will support the use of RICT as a primary tool for WFD classification and reporting of the quality of UK streams and rivers. There are however a number of outstanding issues with indices that need to be addressed: • There is a need to develop a biotic index for assessing metal pollution. • WFD EQR banding schemes are required for many of the indices to report what is considered an acceptable degree of stress (High-Good) and what is not (Moderate, Poor or Bad). • A comprehensive objective testing process needs to be undertaken on the indices in RICT using UK-wide, large-scale, independent test datasets to quantify their index-stressor relationships and their associated uncertainty, for example following the approach to acidity index testing in Murphy et al., (in review) or organic/general degradation indices in Banks & McFarland (2010). • Following objective testing, the UK Agencies should make efforts to address any index under-performance issues that have been identified, and where necessary new work should be commissioned to modify existing indices, or develop new ones where required so that indices for all stress types meet certain minimum performance criteria. • Testing needs to be done to examine index-stressor relationships with both observed index scores and RIVPACS observed/expected ratios. Work should also be done to compare the existing RIVPACS IV and the new stressor-independent models (developed in this project) as alternative sources of the expected index values for these tests. • Consideration should be given to assessing the extent to which chemical and biological monitoring points co-occur. Site-matched (rather than reach-matched) chemical and biological monitoring points would i) generate the substantial training datasets needed to refine or develop new indices and ii) generate the independent datasets for testing

A study of factors affecting the efficiency of milking operations.

End of Project ReportWith a mid-level milking system the milking time was reduced significantly when the teat end vacuum was increased • Vacuum losses were lower and milking time was shorter with simultaneous pulsation than with alternate pulsation • Milk yield was not affected by the magnitude of teat end vacuum. • Both the mean flowrate and peak flowrate increased when the teat end vacuum was increased. • New milking plants and conversions should have 16 mm bore long milk tubes (LMT) and 16 mm bore entries in the milk pipeline • The omission of udder washing as a pre-milking preparation procedure did not influence milking characteristics. • TBC and E. coli were significantly reduced with full pre-milking preparation compared to no pre-milking preparation when milk was produced from cows on pasture • Counts for individual bacterial species were well below maximum numbers permitted in EU Council Directive (Anon. 1992) when no pre-milking preparation was carried out

Infinite-dimensional Compact Quantum Semigroup

In this paper we construct a compact quantum semigroup structure on the Toeplitz algebra $\mathcal{T}$. The existence of a subalgebra, isomorphic to the algebra of regular Borel's measures on a circle with convolution product, in the dual algebra $\mathcal{T}^*$ is shown. The existence of Haar functionals in the dual algebra and in the above-mentioned subalgebra is proved. Also we show the connection between $\mathcal{T}$ and the structure of weak Hopf algebra.Comment: 17 page

Hypertension prevalence and awareness in older Irish adults: Evidence from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Introduction: Hypertension prevalence is increasing worldwide: population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of obesity are contributing to this rise. Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for stroke, coronary heart disease, end stage renal disease and has been associated with cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of hypertension and to identify determinants of awareness of hypertension in older Irish adults. Methods: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a population based prospective cohort study representative of community living adults. Each member of the Irish population aged 50 years and older had an equal probability of participation in the study. Face to face interviews and objective health assessments were conducted between Oct 2009 and July 2011. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to calculate prevalence and determinants of awareness of hypertension. Survey weights were applied to the estimates to adjust for selection and non-response bias in the survey. Results: The household response rate was 62%. Of the 8,175 respondents who took part in the study 5857 (71.6%) completed a comprehensive health assessment including blood pressure measurement. Hypertension was defined as a mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140mmHg and/or a mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90mmHg and/or currently taking antihypertensive medications. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 64% (95% CI 62-65%) in those aged 50 years and older. Hypertension prevalence was higher in men than in women (69% vs 59%, p<.007) and prevalence increased with age to 87% (95% CI 84-89%) in those aged 75 years and older. Of those classified as hypertensive 55% (95% CI 53-57%) self-reported a previous doctor’s diagnosis of hypertension. Strong determinants of awareness included older age, female sex, overweight and obesity. Conclusions: This study documents a high prevalence of hypertension in adults aged 50 years and older in Ireland and identifies a low level of awareness of hypertension in this group. Raising awareness of hypertension is a major public health challenge. These findings provide reliable information which can contribute to practice and policy aimed at decreasing the prevalence of hypertension

The role of epigenetics in cardiovascular health and ageing: A focus on physical activity and nutrition

The cardiovascular system is responsible for transport of blood and nutrients to tissues, and is pivotal to the physiological health and longevity. Epigenetic modification is a natural, age-associated process resulting in highly contextualised gene expression with clear implications for cell differentiation and disease onset. Biological/epigenetic age is independent of chronological age, constituting a highly reflective snapshot of an individual\u27s overall health. Accelerated vascular ageing is of major concern, effectively lowering disease threshold. Age-related chronic illness involves a complex interplay between many biological processes and is modulated by non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors. These alter the static genome by a number of epigenetic mechanisms, which change gene expression in an age and lifestyle dependent manner. This \u27epigenetic drift\u27 impacts health and contributes to the etiology of chronic illness. Lifestyle factors may cause acceleration of this epigenetic "clock", pre-disposing individuals to cardiovascular disease. Nutrition and physical activity are modifiable lifestyle choices, synergistically contributing to cardiovascular health. They represent a powerful potential epigenetic intervention point for effective cardiovascular protective and management strategies. Thus, together with traditional risk factors, monitoring the epigenetic signature of ageing may prove beneficial for tailoring lifestyle to fit biology - supporting the increasingly popular concept of "ageing well"

Applications of Urban Tree Canopy Assessment and Prioritization Tools: Supporting Collaborative Decision Making to Achieve Urban Sustainability Goals

Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Prioritizations can be both a set of geographic analysis tools and a planning process for collaborative decision-making. In this paper, we describe how UTC Prioritizations can be used as a planning process to provide decision support to multiple government agencies, civic groups and private businesses to aid in reaching a canopy target. Linkages to broader City-scale sustainability plans are explored. This article represents an extension and update to the UTC Canopy Goal Setting Guide by Raciti et al (2006). We conclude with recommendations for a market-like analysis of neighborhoods to better match planting initiatives to particular neighborhoods’ motivations, capacities and interests in order to improve the adoption of improved urban forestry practices

A case of concomitant pemphigus foliaceus and oral pemphigus vulgaris

Pemphigus is a chronic autoimmune condition that can affect multiple areas of the body. The two main subtypes of pemphigus are pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) which can rarely occur concurrently or even transition from one to the other. The process of transition may be explained by qualitative changes in desmoglein autoantibody profile. We present a rare case of concomitant PF and oral PV and explore the literature on transitions between pemphigus subtypes and whether this case could represent a transition from PF to PV. Furthermore, the realities of multidisciplinary patient management are discussed

Making a Move in Exercise Referral: Co-Development of a Physical Activity Referral Scheme

Item does not contain fulltextBackground: Translational research is required to ensure exercise referral schemes (ERSs) are evidence-based and reflect local needs. This article reports process data from the co-development phase of an ERS, providing an insight into (i) factors that must be considered when translating evidence to practice in an ERS setting, and (ii) challenges and facilitators of conducting participatory research involving multiple stakeholders. Methods: An ERS was iteratively co-developed by a multidisciplinary stakeholder group (commissioners, managers, practitioners, patients and academics) via five participatory meetings and an online survey. Audio data (e.g. group discussions) and visual data (e.g. whiteboard notes) were recorded and analysed using NVivo-10 electronic software. Results: Factors to consider when translating evidence to practice in an ERS setting included (i) current ERS culture; (ii) skills, safety and accountability; and (iii) resources and capacity. The co-development process was facilitated by needs-analysis, open questions, multidisciplinary debate and reflective practice. Challenges included contrasting views, irregular attendance and (mis)perceptions of evaluation. Conclusion: The multidisciplinary co-development process highlighted cultural and pragmatic issues related to exercise referral provision, resulting in an evidence-based intervention framework designed to be implemented within existing infrastructures. Further work is required to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of the co-developed intervention in practice