Informing compensatory habitat creation with experimental trials: a 3-year study of a threatened amphibian

AbstractThe creation or restoration of habitat to mitigate biodiversity loss is a common conservation strategy. Evidence-based research via an extensively monitored trial study should be undertaken prior to large-scale implementation to predict success and identify potential limiting factors. We constructed an experimental trial habitat for the threatened green and golden bell frog Litoria aurea, in Australia, to inform a broader programme of compensatory habitat creation. Individuals were released into the trial plot and a nearby natural wetland for comparison to determine if the created habitat would support their growth, survival and persistence. Half of the trial waterbodies were enclosed within an exclusion fence to separate the effects of habitat suitability from ecological processes. We found the habitat provided L. aurea with sufficient resources to grow, survive and persist for 3 years. However, no breeding occurred, and further investigations need to focus on understanding the drivers of reproduction. Although a disease outbreak occurred during the study, persistence continued for the next 2 years. This was attributed to the large number of individuals released, a strategy we recommend for future mitigation strategies to account for low survival and high turnover rates. Dispersal probably affected abundance in the unfenced areas, and landscape-level initiatives are suggested for this species. This study demonstrates that experimental trials are valuable, as they can inform future habitat management by identifying limitations that could hinder success prior to the implementation of large-scale initiatives.

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Labour turnover and workers' well-being in the Ethiopian manufacturing industry

10.35188/unu-wider/2021/974-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sandra Kristine Halvorsen

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Industrial Development ◽

Large Scale ◽

Manufacturing Industry ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Well Being ◽

Turnover Rates ◽

High Turnover ◽

Ethiopian Government ◽

Labour Turnover

Manufacturing industry expansion is a central part of Ethiopia’s growth and transformation agenda due to its potential for accelerated economic development and large-scale job creation, in particular for women. However, the industry is experiencing extremely high labour turnover rates, which is hampering the prospects of a successful industrialization of the country. Understanding the reasons for the high turnover may give important insights into the industry workings and how factory employment affects women's economic empowerment and well-being. Using a combination of survey data and qualitative interviews, the study highlights three main reasons for the high turnover: unrealistic expectations about wages and work efforts, poor working conditions, and difficulties combining domestic responsibilities with factory employment. In order to achieve social and economic development through industrial development, the Ethiopian government and firm managers need to take action to handle the turnover problem, making factory jobs safe, profitable, and a place for competence development.

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The Child Welfare Choice: An Analysis of Social Work Students' Career Plans

Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work ◽

10.18084/1084-7219.3.1.31 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 31-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sunny Harris Rome

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Local Governments ◽

Large Scale ◽

Turnover Rates ◽

High Turnover ◽

Child Welfare Agencies ◽

Social Work Programs ◽

State And Local ◽

Welfare Agencies

Child welfare is a field of practice replete with opportunities that are well-suited to entry-level social workers, yet many child welfare agencies remain hampered by staff shortages and high turnover rates. As recently enacted welfare restrictions are implemented, child welfare agencies can expect to face even greater challenges —ones that make the recruitment and hiring of qualified staff an even more urgent priority. This article presents the results of a large-scale, empirical study designed to identify what makes BSW and MSW students interested, or disinterested, in pursuing employment in child welfare agencies, and what kinds of incentives they believe might motivate them to seek child welfare work. Recommendations are offered for social work programs, child welfare agencies, state and local governments, Congress and the Administration, and advocates for children.

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Detection of Metal Toxicity Using Natural Phytoplankton as Test Organisms in the Great Lakes

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.1993.008 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 155-176

Author(s):

Mohiddin Munawari ◽

Milos Legner

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Metal Toxicity ◽

Structural Changes ◽

System Response ◽

Turnover Rates ◽

High Turnover ◽

Spectra Analysis ◽

Test Organisms ◽

Future Potential ◽

Natural Phytoplankton

Abstract This paper presents an overview of techniques utilizing natural phytoplankton for the detection of metal-Induced stress in the Great Lakes. Both field and laboratory procedures are designed to evaluate either structural changes or functional response of test organisms. This up-to-date compendium provides a choice of techniques, which permits a holistic assessment of the stress caused by toxic metals. Recently introduced techniques, such as normalized size spectra analysis, flow cytometry, and the evaluation of a continuous-flow system response to metal toxicity, are discussed in more detail to explore their future potential. Owing to their key position in the food web, high turnover rates, abundance, and sensitivity to environmental perturbation, phytoplankton serve as reliable early warning indicators of ecosystem deterioration and its restoration.

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Synthesizing published knowledge of boreal forest cover change for large-scale landscape dynamics modelling

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc79132-1 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 132-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Dennis Yemshanov ◽

Ajith H Perera

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Large Scale ◽

Forest Canopy ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Forest Succession ◽

Simulation Models ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Forest Cover Change ◽

Discrete State

We reviewed the published knowledge on forest succession in the North American boreal biome for its applicability in modelling forest cover change over large extents. At broader scales, forest succession can be viewed as forest cover change over time. Quantitative case studies of forest succession in peer-reviewed literature are reliable sources of information about changes in forest canopy composition. We reviewed the following aspects of forest succession in literature: disturbances; pathways of post-disturbance forest cover change; timing of successional steps; probabilities of post-disturbance forest cover change, and effects of geographic location and ecological site conditions on forest cover change. The results from studies in the literature, which were mostly based on sample plot observations, appeared to be sufficient to describe boreal forest cover change as a generalized discrete-state transition process, with the discrete states denoted by tree species dominance. In this paper, we outline an approach for incorporating published knowledge on forest succession into stochastic simulation models of boreal forest cover change in a standardized manner. We found that the lack of details in the literature on long-term forest succession, particularly on the influence of pre-disturbance forest cover composition, may be limiting factors in parameterizing simulation models. We suggest that the simulation models based on published information can provide a good foundation as null models, which can be further calibrated as detailed quantitative information on forest cover change becomes available. Key words: probabilistic model, transition matrix, boreal biome, landscape ecology

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Threat of arsenic contamination, salinity and water pollution in agricultural practices of Sundarban Delta, India, and mitigation strategies

SN Applied Sciences ◽

10.1007/s42452-021-04544-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Anirban Nath ◽

Sourav Samanta ◽

Saon Banerjee ◽

Anamitra Anurag Danda ◽

Sugata Hazra

Keyword(s):

Plant Breeding ◽

Rural Population ◽

Large Scale ◽

Local Population ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Saline Stress ◽

Freshwater Resources ◽

Catchment Areas ◽

The Sundarbans

AbstractThe paper through a critical appraisal of the agricultural practices in the Indian Sundarban deltaic region explores the tripartite problems of arsenic biomagnification, salinity of arable lands and ingress of agrochemical pollutants into the freshwater resources, which endanger the health, livelihood and food security of the rural population inhabiting the delta. The threefold problem has rendered a severe blow to the agrarian economy consequently triggering large-scale outmigration of the rural population from the region. Although recent studies have addressed these issues separately, the inter-connectivity among these elements and their possible long-term impact upon sustainability in the Sundarbans are yet to be elucidated. In the current scenario, the study emphasizes that the depleting freshwater resources is at the heart of the threefold problems affecting the Sundarbans. Owing to the heavy siltation of the local river systems, freshwater resources from the local ravines have salinized beyond the point of being used for agricultural purposes. At the same time, increasing salinity levels resulting from fluctuation of pre- and post-monsoon rainfall, frequent cyclones and capillary movement of salinized groundwater (primarily during the Rabi season) have severely hampered the agricultural practices. Salinization of above groundwater reserves has forced the farmers toward utilization of groundwater, which are lifted using STWs, especially for rice and other cultivations in the Rabi season. The Holocene aquifers of the region retain toxic levels of arsenic which are lifted during the irrigation process and are deposited on to the agricultural fields, resulting in bioaccumulation of As in the food products resourced from the area. The compound effect of consuming arsenic-contaminated food and drinking water has resulted in severe health issues recorded among the local population in the delta. Furthermore, due to the sub-optimal conditions for sustaining agriculture under saline stress, farmers often opt for the cultivation of post-green revolution high-yielding varieties, which require additional inputs of nitrogen-based fertilizers, organophosphate herbicides and pesticides that are frequently washed away by runoff from the watershed into the low-lying catchment areas of the biosphere reserve. Such practices have endangered the vulnerable conditions of local flora and fauna. In the present situation, the study proposes mitigation strategies which necessitate the smart use of locally obtainable resources like water, adaptable cultivars and sustainable agronomic practices like organic farming. The study also suggests engaging of conventional plant breeding strategies such as “Evolutionary plant breeding” for obtaining cultivars adapted to the shifting ecological conditions of the delta in the long run.

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Influence of plasma treatment on SiO2/Si and Si3N4/Si substrates for large-scale transfer of graphene

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-92432-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

R. Lukose ◽

M. Lisker ◽

F. Akhtar ◽

M. Fraschke ◽

T. Grabolla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Oxygen Plasma ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Adhesion Properties ◽

Si Substrates ◽

Wetting Contact Angle ◽

Angle Measurements ◽

Chemical Vapor Deposited ◽

Contact Angle Measurements

AbstractOne of the limiting factors of graphene integration into electronic, photonic, or sensing devices is the unavailability of large-scale graphene directly grown on the isolators. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer graphene from the donor growth wafers onto the isolating target wafers. In the present research, graphene was transferred from the chemical vapor deposited 200 mm Germanium/Silicon (Ge/Si) wafers onto isolating (SiO2/Si and Si3N4/Si) wafers by electrochemical delamination procedure, employing poly(methylmethacrylate) as an intermediate support layer. In order to influence the adhesion properties of graphene, the wettability properties of the target substrates were investigated in this study. To increase the adhesion of the graphene on the isolating surfaces, they were pre-treated with oxygen plasma prior the transfer process of graphene. The wetting contact angle measurements revealed the increase of the hydrophilicity after surface interaction with oxygen plasma, leading to improved adhesion of the graphene on 200 mm target wafers and possible proof-of-concept development of graphene-based devices in standard Si technologies.

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A Low-Fidelity Stochastic Model of Viral Spread in Aircraft to Assess Risk Mitigation Strategies

ASCE-ASME J Risk and Uncert in Engrg Sys Part B Mech Engrg ◽

10.1115/1.4050040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leigh McCue

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Traffic Network ◽

Computationally Efficient ◽

Passenger Compartment ◽

Stochastic Effects ◽

Viral Spread ◽

Risk Mitigation Strategies ◽

Baseline Health

Abstract The purpose of this work is to develop a computationally efficient model of viral spread that can be utilized to better understand influences of stochastic factors on a large-scale system - such as the air traffic network. A particle-based model of passengers and seats aboard a single-cabin 737-800 is developed for use as a demonstration of concept on tracking the propagation of a virus through the aircraft's passenger compartment over multiple flights. The model is sufficiently computationally efficient so as to be viable for Monte Carlo simulation to capture various stochastic effects, such as number of passengers, number of initially sick passengers, seating locations of passengers, and baseline health of each passenger. The computational tool is then exercised in demonstration for assessing risk mitigation of intervention strategies, such as passenger-driven cleaning of seating environments and elimination of middle seating.

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Disparity and Dynamics of Social Distancing Behaviors in Japan: An Investigation of mobile phone mobility data (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.31557 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zeyu Lyu ◽

Hiroki Takikawa

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Demographic Groups ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Mobility Data ◽

The Social ◽

The Government ◽

Over Time

BACKGROUND The availability of large-scale and fine-grained aggregated mobility data has allowed researchers to observe the dynamic of social distancing behaviors at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Despite the increasing attentions paid to this research agenda, limited studies have focused on the demographic factors related to mobility and the dynamics of social distancing behaviors has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assist in the design and implementation of public health policies by exploring the social distancing behaviors among various demographic groups over time. METHODS We combined several data sources, including mobile tracking data and geographical statistics, to estimate visiting population of entertainment venues across demographic groups, which can be considered as the proxy of social distancing behaviors. Then, we employed time series analyze methods to investigate how voluntary and policy-induced social distancing behaviors shift over time across demographic groups. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of social distancing behaviors and their dynamics across age groups. The population in the entertainment venues comprised mainly of individuals aged 20–40 years, while according to the dynamics of the mobility index and the policy-induced behavior, among the age groups, the extent of reduction of the frequency of visiting entertainment venues during the pandemic was generally the highest among younger individuals. Also, our results indicate the importance of implementing the social distancing policy promptly to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infection. However, it should be noticed that although the policy intervention during the second wave in Japan appeared to increase the awareness of the severity of the pandemic and concerns regarding COVID-19, its direct impact has been largely decreased could only last for a short time. CONCLUSIONS At the time we wrote this paper, in Japan, the number of daily confirmed cases was continuously increasing. Thus, this study provides a timely reference for decision makers about the current situation of policy-induced compliance behaviors. On the one hand, age-dependent disparity requires target mitigation strategies to increase the intention of elderly individuals to adopt mobility restriction behaviors. On the other hand, considering the decreasing impact of self-restriction recommendations, the government should employ policy interventions that limit the resurgence of cases, especially by imposing stronger, stricter social distancing interventions, as they are necessary to promote social distancing behaviors and mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. CLINICALTRIAL None

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Habitat Restoration as a Key Conservation Lever for Woodland Caribou: A review of restoration programs and key learnings from Alberta

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.35.2.3646 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 123 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Paula Bentham ◽

Brian Coupal

Keyword(s):

Habitat Management ◽

Large Scale ◽

Habitat Restoration ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Program Planning ◽

Local Population ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Tree Planting ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Recovery Strategy

The Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population in Canada (EC, 2012), identifies coordinated actions to reclaim woodland caribou habitat as a key step to meeting current and future caribou population objectives. Actions include restoring industrial landscape features such as roads, seismic lines, pipelines, cut-lines, and cleared areas in an effort to reduce landscape fragmentation and the changes in caribou population dynamics associated with changing predator-prey dynamics in highly fragmented landscapes. Reliance on habitat restoration as a recovery action within the federal recovery strategy is high, considering all Alberta populations have less than 65% undisturbed habitat, which is identified in the recovery strategy as a threshold providing a 60% chance that a local population will be self-sustaining. Alberta’s Provincial Woodland Caribou Policy also identifies habitat restoration as a critical component of long-term caribou habitat management. We review and discuss the history of caribou habitat restoration programs in Alberta and present outcomes and highlights of a caribou habitat restoration workshop attended by over 80 representatives from oil and gas, forestry, provincial and federal regulators, academia and consulting who have worked on restoration programs. Restoration initiatives in Alberta began in 2001 and have generally focused on construction methods, revegetation treatments, access control programs, and limiting plant species favourable to alternate prey. Specific treatments include tree planting initiatives, coarse woody debris management along linear features, and efforts for multi-company and multi-stakeholder coordinated habitat restoration on caribou range. Lessons learned from these programs have been incorporated into large scale habitat restoration projects near Grande Prairie, Cold Lake, and Fort McMurray. A key outcome of our review is the opportunity to provide a unified approach for restoration program planning, best practices, key performance indicators, and monitoring considerations for future programs within Canada.

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