Let’s not forget the small fishes – conservation of two threatened species of pygmy perch in south-eastern Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Saddlier ◽  
John D. Koehn ◽  
Michael P. Hammer

Small species without commercial value are often overlooked in conservation management. Pygmy perches are minature percichthyid fishes from temperate southern Australia of significant conservation concern, with five of the seven described species being threatened nationally. The present paper examines the plight of Yarra pygmy perch Nannoperca obscura, and variegated pygmy perch N. variegata, and discusses the progress of national (and State) recovery-plan actions. Threats and risks to these species are considerable; however, overall, few recovery actions have been completed and the status of many populations is unknown following the recent ‘millenium drought’. Habitat restoration, fish rescues, environmental water delivery and research into distribution, ecology and population dynamics are largely driven by individuals within singular local management authorities. Like many small fishes, they receive less attention than do larger ones and a cross-jurisdictional national recovery team is required to prioritise, coordinate and implement conservation efforts before the continued persistence of these species can be assured. These two small fishes are representative of many similar species and the lessons from the present case study may be applied elsewhere throughout the world.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sarmistha R. Majumdar

Fracking has helped to usher in an era of energy abundance in the United States. This advanced drilling procedure has helped the nation to attain the status of the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world, but some of its negative externalities, such as human-induced seismicity, can no longer be ignored. The occurrence of earthquakes in communities located at proximity to disposal wells with no prior history of seismicity has shocked residents and have caused damages to properties. It has evoked individuals’ resentment against the practice of injection of fracking’s wastewater under pressure into underground disposal wells. Though the oil and gas companies have denied the existence of a link between such a practice and earthquakes and the local and state governments have delayed their responses to the unforeseen seismic events, the issue has gained in prominence among researchers, affected community residents, and the media. This case study has offered a glimpse into the varied responses of stakeholders to human-induced seismicity in a small city in the state of Texas. It is evident from this case study that although individuals’ complaints and protests from a small community may not be successful in bringing about statewide changes in regulatory policies on disposal of fracking’s wastewater, they can add to the public pressure on the state government to do something to address the problem in a state that supports fracking.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saranya Banerjee ◽  
Deepshikha Ray

Twin studies have mostly focused on the pattern of maladaptive behaviour manifested by the twins and their biological basis but the findings have remained controversial till date. The present case study explores the psychopathology in 14 year old twins of Indian origin. They were referred for psychometric assessment and psychotherapy for their conduct problems. The tools administered on them during psychometric assessment are Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (WISC-IV), Rorschach Inkblot Test (RIBT) and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Findings are discussed in terms of the personality processes and relationship quality of the twins.


2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Magnavita ◽  
Norbert Schleifer

In the last decades, geophysical methods such as magnetic survey have become a common technique for prospecting archaeological sites. At sub-Saharan archaeological sites, however, magnetic survey and correlated techniques never came into broad use and there are no signs for an immediate change of this situation. This paper examines the magnetic survey undertaken on the Nigerian site of Zilum, a settlement of the Gajiganna Culture (ca 1800-400 BC) located in the Chad Basin and dated to ca 600-400 BC. By means of the present case study, we demonstrate the significance of this particular type of investigation in yielding complementary data for understanding the character of prehistoric settlements. In conclusion, we point out that geophysical methods should play a more important role in modern archaeological field research, as they furnish a class of documentation not achievable by traditional survey and excavation methods, thus creating new perspectives for interpreting the past of African societies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourenildo W.B. Leite ◽  
J. Mann ◽  
Wildney W.S. Vieira

ABSTRACT. The present case study results from a consistent processing and imaging of marine seismic data from a set collected over sedimentary basins of the East Brazilian Atlantic. Our general aim is... RESUMO. O presente artigo resulta de um processamento e imageamento consistentes de dados sísmicos marinhos de levantamento realizado em bacias sedimentares do Atlântico do Nordeste...


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292110281
Author(s):  
Elène Haave-Audet ◽  
Doris Audet ◽  
Michelle Monge-Velazquez ◽  
Eleanor Flatt ◽  
Andrew Whitworth

Introduction: Background and Research Aims: Assessing biodiversity recovery is key to determine whether the objectives of habitat restoration for conservation are met. Many restoration initiatives use cross-sectional comparisons of wildlife communities to infer restoration impact instead of longitudinal assessments from a baseline state. Using an indicator of biodiversity in the neotropics— bats— we demonstrate how assessing community diversity and composition in an area targeted for restoration prior to implementation, and when compared to surrounding intact forest, provides the groundwork to track changes in the community post-restoration. Methods We assessed bat communities by 1) using mist-net surveys to identify species in the family Phyllostomidae (leaf-nosed bats), and 2) conducting acoustic surveys to identify non-phyllostomid species (aerial insectivores). Results For both groups, we found that areas targeted for restoration had similar diversity as the surrounding forest, but the two habitat types differed in community composition. Phyllostomids were captured at higher rates in forest, but aerial insectivores were detected at higher rates in restoration habitat. Conclusion Our baseline assessment revealed unexpected diversity in areas targeted for restoration. The presence of all trophic groups in restoration habitat suggests that bats provide key ecosystem services in the restoration process, such as through seed dispersal, pollination and insect pest control. Implications for Conservation: Conducting a baseline survey of bats in areas targeted for restoration demonstrated that the community was not species poor at the baseline and was different from the surrounding forest, allowing us to better track restoration success and the effects of different restoration treatments.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003232172110205
Author(s):  
Giulia Mariani ◽  
Tània Verge

Building on historical and discursive institutionalism, this article examines the agent-based dynamics of gradual institutional change. Specifically, using marriage equality in the United States as a case study, we examine how actors’ ideational work enabled them to make use of the political and discursive opportunities afforded by multiple venues to legitimize the process of institutional change to take off sequentially through layering, displacement, and conversion. We also pay special attention to how the discursive strategies deployed by LGBT advocates, religious-conservative organizations and other private actors created new opportunities to influence policy debates and tip the scales to their preferred policy outcome. The sequential perspective adopted in this study allows problematizing traditional conceptualizations of which actors support or contest the status quo, as enduring oppositional dynamics lead them to perform both roles in subsequent phases of the institutional change process.


Author(s):  
Przemysław Banasik ◽  
Katarzyna Metelska-Szaniawska ◽  
Małgorzata Godlewska ◽  
Sylwia Morawska

AbstractThe goal of this paper is to identify factors which affect judges’ productivity and career choice motives with the view of increasing judicial efficiency. Specifically, the investigation focuses on such aspects as judges’ remuneration, promotion, threat of judgment revocation, service/mission, periodic assessment, the threat of a complaint about protracted proceedings or of disciplinary proceedings, the threat of destabilization of the employment relationship, status/prestige of the profession, power/authority, social recognition, leisure, as well as administrative supervision and self-monitoring. To this end, a survey was conducted among judges of three of the largest Polish regional courts and subordinate district courts. The descriptive and statistical analyses show that judges’ care for the number of cases resolved, proxying for their productivity, is significantly correlated with self-monitoring of their adjudication activity. The stability of employment, the status/prestige of the profession and a relatively high remuneration are the most important factors in terms of judges’ career choices. In their care for the number of cases resolved remuneration is, albeit, no longer a relevant factor. Judges monitor their productivity due to reasons other than remuneration, possibly the sense of service/mission and the threat of various adverse consequences, the evidence for which is, however, also rather weak.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. e238172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Kwan ◽  
Aaron Sia ◽  
Cullen O'Gorman

We present a case study of a 67-year-old man who presented with a new onset of recurrent tonic-clonic seizures. He had tested positive to gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptor antibodies in his blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and subsequent CT imaging and transrectal biopsy confirmed the presence of a locally advanced mixed small cell and Gleason 9 adenocarcinoma of the prostate. His seizures remained resistant to treatment with multiple antiepileptic drugs, including sodium valproate, clobazam, topiramate, carbamazepine, phenytoin and lacosamide. He progressed to status epilepticus, which required intravenous immunoglobulin and steroids, followed by plasma exchange 1 week later. The status epilepticus was refractory and required multiple admissions to the intensive care unit.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley Oifoghe ◽  
Nora Alarcon ◽  
Lucrecia Grigoletto

Abstract Hydrocarbons are bypassed in known fields. This is due to reservoir heterogeneities, complex lithology, and limitations of existing technology. This paper seeks to identify the scenarios of bypassed hydrocarbons, and to highlight how advances in reservoir characterization techniques have improved assessment of bypassed hydrocarbons. The present case study is an evaluation well drilled on the continental shelf, off the West African Coastline. The targeted thin-bedded reservoir sands are of Cenomanian age. Some technologies for assessing bypassed hydrocarbon include Gamma Ray Spectralog and Thin Bed Analysis. NMR is important for accurate reservoir characterization of thinly bedded reservoirs. The measured NMR porosity was 15pu, which is 42% of the actual porosity. Using the measured values gave a permeability of 5.3mD as against the actual permeability of 234mD. The novel model presented in this paper increased the porosity by 58% and the permeability by 4315%.


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