An Exploration of the Dynamics of Consensual Approaches in Biodiversity Planning for the Wider Countryside: Evaluating the Usefulness and Applicability of Actor-Network Theory

This research examines the usefulness of applying theoretical principles from the Sociology of Translation and Actor Network Theory to the scenario of biodiversity planning in Oxfordshire between the early nineteen nineties and 2001. It develops a model derived from a social constructionist approach to considering Nature, and seeks to apply it to empirical data on the development of Oxfordshire's Local Biodiversity Action Plan. The data is considered in relation to the four poles of the model which are the 'scientific knowledge or technical' pole; the 'institutional' pole; the 'production of practices' pole and the 'nature protected' pole. The idea that is applied is that scientific knowledge that is generated for a purpose becomes the accepted wisdom and consequently is institutionalized. From this acceptance of the importance of scientific or technical authority, practices will then be generated (for example, land or water management strategies) and these then protect particular elements of nature; essentially what society, and more specifically, the actors involved with problematising the issue deem as being elements that are important to preserve. Also, there is a time and space dimension built into the model since the author builds on the ideas of actor-network theorists who argue that a network is not a flat shape but that actors may act at a distance (e. g. global actor) but still be linked into a localized network. Similarly, actors may be incorporated from different times but may be held into place within a given network because their views or actions are part of a stable agreement (e. g. text/intermediary object) that has encapsulated a number of different actors.The actor-networks presented in this thesis are heterogeneous in nature in that they incorporate elements of nature and the human world as different actors represent the views of others. The research explores stable and unstable networks that are founded within consensual approaches through partnership working between many different types of organisation

Measuring the solid-phase fractionation of lead in urban and rural soils using a combination of geochemical survey data and chemical extractions

The study used 276 urban soils and 447 rural soils collected from in and around the UK town of Northampton and focussed on the fractionation of Pb. The Pb fractionation obtained from total element data was compared to the fractionation of Pb in a subset of 10 urban soils obtained using a sequential extraction method. The fractionation of the Pb from the total element data and from the sequential extractions was estimated using a self-modelling mixture resolution statistical model. The bioaccessibility of Pb in a subset of 50 of the urban soils, as measured using the unified BARGE method, was shown to be quantitatively linked with Pb fractionation from both the total element and the sequential extraction data. Three intrinsic soil components from the regional total element data model and one physico-chemical component from the sequential extraction data model were identified as the sources of bioaccessible Pb. The source of bioaccessible Pb in both rural and urban soils was tentatively identified as a fine-grained pyromorphite mineral

Investigating the geochemical controls on Pb bioaccessibility in urban agricultural soils to inform sustainable site management

The solid-phase speciation of contaminants in soil plays a major role in regulating both the environmental mobility of contaminants and their bioavailability in biological receptors such as humans. With the increasing prevalence of urban agriculture, in tandem with growing evidence of the negative health impacts of even low levels of exposure to Pb, there is a pressing need to provide regulators with a relevant evidence base on which to build human health risk assessments and construct sustainable site management plans. We detail how the solid-phase fractionation of Pb from selected urban agricultural soil samples, using sequential extraction, can be utilised to interpret the bioaccessible fraction of Pb and ultimately inform sustainable site management plans. Our sequential extraction data shows that the Pb in our urban soils is primarily associated with Al oxide phases, with the second most important phase associated with either Fe oxyhydroxide or crystalline FeO, and only to a limited extent with Ca carbonates. We interpret the co-presence of a P component with the Al oxide cluster to indicate the soils contain Pb phosphate type minerals, such as plumbogummite (PbAl3(PO4)2(OH)5·H2O), as a consequence of natural “soil aging” processes. The presence of Pb phosphates, in conjunction with our biomonitoring data, which indicates the lack of elevated blood Pb levels in our gardeners compared to their non-gardening neighbours, suggests the (legacy) Pb in these soils has been rendered relatively immobile. This study has given confidence to the local authority regulators, and the gardeners, that these urban gardens can be safe to use, even where soil Pb levels are up to ten times above the UK’s recommended lead screening level. The advice to our urban gardeners, based on our findings, is to carry on gardening but follow recommended good land management and hygiene practices

Human geophagia, Calabash chalk and Undongo: Mineral element nutritional implications

The prime aim of our work is to report and comment on the bioaccessible concentrations – i.e., the soluble content of chemical elements in the gastrointestinal environment that is available for absorption – of a number of essential mineral nutrients and potentially harmful elements (PHEs) associated with the deliberate ingestion of African geophagical materials, namely Calabash chalk and Undongo. The pseudo-total concentrations of 13 mineral nutrients/PHEs were quantified following a nitric-perchloric acid digestion of nine different Calabash chalk samples, and bioaccessible contents of eight of these chemical elements were determined in simulated saliva/gastric and intestinal solutions obtained via use of the Fed ORganic Estimation human Simulation Test (FOREhST) in vitro procedure. The Calabash chalk pseudo-total content of the chemical elements is often below what may be regarded as average for soils/shales, and no concentration is excessively high. The in vitro leachate solutions had concentrations that were often lower than those of the blanks used in our experimental procedure, indicative of effective adsorption: lead, a PHE about which concern has been previously raised in connection with the consumption of Calabash chalk, was one such chemical element where this was evident. However, some concentrations in the leachate solutions are suggestive that Calabash chalk can be a source of chemical elements to humans in bioaccessible form, although generally the materials appear to be only a modest supplier: this applies even to iron, a mineral nutrient that has often been linked to the benefits of geophagia in previous academic literature. Our investigations indicate that at the reported rates of ingestion, Calabash chalk on the whole is not an important source of mineral nutrients or PHEs to humans. Similarly, although Undongo contains elevated pseudo-total concentrations of chromium and nickel, this soil is not a significant source to humans for any of the bioaccessible elements investigated

Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience: Final report (FD2682)

Executive SummaryThe Defra research project FD2682 examined the technical, social and behavioural aspects of supporting low cost flood repairable measures designed to limit damage to buildings during and after flood events. Flood repairable measures (sometimes called ‘flood resilient measures’) applied to buildings are designed to limit damage, or speed up recovery where water has entered a property. They include strategies to keep water away from building elements (such as raising power sockets) and the internal use of waterproof or water resistant materials, including those capable of retaining their integrity and recovering quickly after inundation. These measures have traditionally been regarded as most useful when water exclusion approaches(measures to keep water out of the building, sometimes called ‘resistant measures’)are not practical or cost effective.The investigation took an action research approach, consulting widely and reflecting on findings on an ongoing basis. The research comprised the following stages:1. A rapid evidence assessment (REA) including a review of relevant academic and grey literature; consultation with a panel of experts; interviews with flood reinstatement and property protection professionals; and interviews with occupants of properties where flood repairable measures have been adopted.2. An assessment of the costs and benefits of selected low cost flood repairable measures, and illustrative packages of measures.3. A demonstration project to explore innovative approaches that could be used by local agencies and businesses to address some of the barriers to the use of flood repairable measures. This made use of a co-design process, via the formation of the Tewkesbury ‘Learning and Action Alliance’ (LAA).The REA concluded that (in contrast to previous perceptions of repairable measures as a last resort for properties at highest risk) low cost repairable measures are widely applicable as part of an integrated approach to limiting the residual risk to individual properties that may also include water exclusion measures. Interviews as part of theREA showed repairability to be a pragmatic approach that can be applied incrementally at various windows of opportunity with lower financial barriers to implementation than alternative strategies. The assessment of costs and benefits of selected low cost flood repairable measures, and illustrative packages of measures, confirmed their potential cost effectiveness in limiting flood damage.The REA concluded that the weight of evidence supports the effectiveness of an ever expanding list of low cost resilience measures in limiting flood damage.However, there are also major gaps in evidence, and in communication and sharing of available evidence, reducing the confidence in implementation of measures within relevant trades and professionals, as well as by owners and occupiers directly. Key areas in urgent need of additional scientific evidence include: the implications ofdebris and contaminants in floodwater; the effect of hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure on ‘waterproof’ materials; and durability of resilient measures afterprolonged flood exposure. However, attention should also be directed towards further understanding the real performance of flood repairable measures in a variety of types of building before, during and after flooding.The REA and demonstration project both concluded that, in order for the potential benefits of repairable measures to be realised in practice, there will need to be a shiftin the repair and reinstatement process. Improved protocols (and incentives) are required that include clarity regarding the autonomy and responsibility of differentactors within the repair process to recommend adoption of repairable measures. The inception of Flood Re offers both a challenge and an opportunity in this regard. The research finds that there could be benefits to placing the specification of negligible cost and cost neutral measures within the professional remit of surveyors and contractors on the ground. To support this, improved technical guidance and training is needed to raise levels of understanding and awareness within the industry. The surveyors’ checklist, designed within the project, was seen as a useful contribution to this requirement. Improved confidence in appropriate measures could also be fostered through provision of exemplars and factsheets.The REA and demonstration project highlighted the potential importance of other windows of opportunity (outside the recovery period) in the take up of low cost floodrepairable measures. Insurance renewal and property transfer represent opportunities to raise awareness of measures at very low cost with minimal upskillingof professionals and may provide direct triggers to action. Other building work and redecoration opportunities are harder to target in terms of awareness raising,therefore a well-informed and up-skilled local ‘property support network’ (PSN) is needed, in order to spot opportunities to support uptake on an individual basis.Evaluation of the demonstration project innovations indicated that implementation was most successful in those innovations driven by members of the LAA, or hadsignificant input from members of the local PSN. Increased awareness of low cost flood resilience measures amongst LAA members was also achieved. Therefore the LAA model was seen as a potential platform to engage relevant local propertyexperts and agencies, and to empower them to encourage property level approaches.However, the REA evidence and that from the LAA meetings together with the evaluation of the surveyor’s checklist suggest that emotional barriers to implementation of low cost resilience are important. Use of repairable measures is a difficult concept, as it requires an acceptance that water might enter the property (home or business) and changes within the living space that might feel abnormal.Interviews with practitioner experts, together with an assessment of current regulations, suggest that making small adjustments to building regulations, relevantto passive avoidance and resilience, could aid normalisation of such measures. A greater focus on design and aesthetics aspects, and clearer guidance on the ways todeal with perceived contamination is also seen as important by professionals, the PSN and in the demonstration project. Finally, a wider framing of property level flooddamage reduction, with suggested schemes including both water entry and water exclusion measures was indicated by the interviews with homeowners and professionals and discussed by the LAA as helpful in addressing emotional barriers

Why it takes an 'ontological shock' to prompt increases in small firm resilience : sensemaking, emotions and flood risk

This article uses a sensemaking approach to understand small firms’ responses to the threat of external shocks. By analysing semi-structured interviews with owners of flooded small firms, we investigate how owners process flood experiences and explore why such experiences do not consistently lead to the resilient adaptation of premises. We, conclude that some of the explanation for low levels of adaptation relates to a desire to defend existing sensemaking structures and associated identities. Sensemaking structures are only revised if these structures are not critical to business identity, or if a flood constitutes an ‘ontological shock’ and renders untenable existing assumptions regarding long-term business continuity. This article has implications for adaptation to the growing risk of flooding, climate change and external shocks. Future research analysing external shocks would benefit from using a sensemaking approach and survey studies should include measurements of ‘ontological’ impact as well as material and financial damage. In addition, those designing information campaigns should take account of small firms’ resistance to information that threatens their existing sensemaking structures and social identities

[Avian cytogenetics goes functional] Third report on chicken genes and chromosomes 2015

High-density gridded libraries of large-insert clones using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and other vectors are essential tools for genetic and genomic research in chicken and other avian species... Taken together, these studies demonstrate that applications of large-insert clones and BAC libraries derived from birds are, and will continue to be, effective tools to aid high-throughput and state-of-the-art genomic efforts and the important biological insight that arises from them

Abstracts from the NIHR INVOLVE Conference 2017

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Prevalence and architecture of de novo mutations in developmental disorders.

The genomes of individuals with severe, undiagnosed developmental disorders are enriched in damaging de novo mutations (DNMs) in developmentally important genes. Here we have sequenced the exomes of 4,293 families containing individuals with developmental disorders, and meta-analysed these data with data from another 3,287 individuals with similar disorders. We show that the most important factors influencing the diagnostic yield of DNMs are the sex of the affected individual, the relatedness of their parents, whether close relatives are affected and the parental ages. We identified 94 genes enriched in damaging DNMs, including 14 that previously lacked compelling evidence of involvement in developmental disorders. We have also characterized the phenotypic diversity among these disorders. We estimate that 42% of our cohort carry pathogenic DNMs in coding sequences; approximately half of these DNMs disrupt gene function and the remainder result in altered protein function. We estimate that developmental disorders caused by DNMs have an average prevalence of 1 in 213 to 1 in 448 births, depending on parental age. Given current global demographics, this equates to almost 400,000 children born per year