The UK Government agrees to create the world's largest marine reserve around the Pitcairn Islands, a UK Overseas Territory in the South Pacific

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence P. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Advocacy Campaigns ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

In March 2015, the UK Government announced their intention to create the World’s largest marine reserve in the territorial waters of the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific Ocean. This achievement followed a concerted effort by a consortium of scientists, environmental campaigners and Members of Parliament, who engaged cooperatively in the building of the scientific evidence base and advocacy campaigns.

MONARCHS, TRAVELLERS AND EMPIRE IN THE PACIFIC'S AGE OF REVOLUTIONS

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
Sujit Sivasundaram
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islanders ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Global History ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Cultural Terms ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
A Site

AbstractThe Pacific has often been invisible in global histories written in the UK. Yet it has consistently been a site for contemplating the past and the future, even among Britons cast on its shores. In this lecture, I reconsider a critical moment of globalisation and empire, the ‘age of revolutions’ at the end of the eighteenth century and the start of the nineteenth century, by journeying with European voyagers to the Pacific Ocean. The lecture will point to what this age meant for Pacific islanders, in social, political and cultural terms. It works with a definition of the Pacific's age of revolutions as a surge of indigeneity met by a counter-revolutionary imperialism. What was involved in undertaking a European voyage changed in this era, even as one important expedition was interrupted by news from revolutionary Europe. Yet more fundamentally vocabularies and practices of monarchy were consolidated by islanders across the Pacific. This was followed by the outworkings of counter-revolutionary imperialism through agreements of alliance and alleged cessation. Such an argument allows me, for instance, to place the 1806 wreck of the Port-au-Prince within the Pacific's age of revolutions. This was an English ship used to raid French and Spanish targets in the Pacific, but which was stripped of its guns, iron, gunpowder and carronades by Tongans. To chart the trajectory from revolution and islander agency on to violence and empire is to appreciate the unsettled paths that gave rise to our modern world. This view foregrounds people who inhabited and travelled through the earth's oceanic frontiers. It is a global history from a specific place in the oceanic south, on the opposite side of the planet to Europe.

New Irish leader is likely to be stop-gap

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Water ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sinn Fein ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Water Charges ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

Significance In the weeks prior to the visit, Kenny declared that he would "effectively and conclusively" deal with the issue of his departure from office following his return to Dublin. A long-running scandal over a police whistle-blower has undermined Kenny's leadership of the Fine Gael party and opened fissures within the ruling coalition. Impacts Several independent members of parliament, including Katherine Zappone, could lose their seats if a snap election is called. Dublin could seek guarantees from the UK government in Brexit talks allowing for future Irish reunification. Sinn Fein will likely increase their numbers in a forthcoming poll, but are unlikely to form part of the next administration. Renewed divisions over domestic water charges could prompt the downfall of the current government.

Laikipia unrest points to Kenya’s land politics

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Land Politics ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
Security Operations ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Grazing Lands

Subject Political and environmental drivers of violence in Laikipia county. Significance Security operations to curb unrest are ongoing in Laikipia county. Invasions of private ranch land by pastoralist herders are not new, but the numbers of livestock and levels of violence have intensified over the past four months. Discord between pastoralists and settled landowners is a long-standing issue in Laikipia, but the recent escalation highlights wider environmental shifts, as well as political tensions around the election and land. Impacts Government exclusion of pastoralism in its economic blueprint plan puts at risk projects that run through northern grazing lands. Despite the travel advisory, the UK government will prioritise cordial relations with Kenya in this sensitive election year. A pay package for members of parliament to cover lost earnings due to the short 2013-17 term reduces the chances of electoral delay.

scholarly journals Fungal Biodiversity in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 648
Author(s):  
Mark S. Calabon ◽  
E. B. Gareth Jones ◽  
Itthayakorn Promputtha ◽  
Kevin D. Hyde
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Juncus Roemerianus ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Fungal Associates ◽  
The Uk

This review brings together the research efforts on salt marsh fungi, including their geographical distribution and host association. A total of 486 taxa associated with different hosts in salt marsh ecosystems are listed in this review. The taxa belong to three phyla wherein Ascomycota dominates the taxa from salt marsh ecosystems accounting for 95.27% (463 taxa). The Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota constitute 19 taxa and four taxa, respectively. Dothideomycetes has the highest number of taxa, which comprises 47.12% (229 taxa), followed by Sordariomycetes with 167 taxa (34.36%). Pleosporales is the largest order with 178 taxa recorded. Twenty-seven genera under 11 families of halophytes were reviewed for its fungal associates. Juncus roemerianus has been extensively studied for its associates with 162 documented taxa followed by Phragmites australis (137 taxa) and Spartina alterniflora (79 taxa). The highest number of salt marsh fungi have been recorded from Atlantic Ocean countries wherein the USA had the highest number of species recorded (232 taxa) followed by the UK (101 taxa), the Netherlands (74 taxa), and Argentina (51 taxa). China had the highest number of salt marsh fungi in the Pacific Ocean with 165 taxa reported, while in the Indian Ocean, India reported the highest taxa (16 taxa). Many salt marsh areas remain unexplored, especially those habitats in the Indian and Pacific Oceans areas that are hotspots of biodiversity and novel fungal taxa based on the exploration of various habitats.

scholarly journals Citizen Science and Food: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Reynolds ◽  
Libby Oakden ◽  
Sarah West ◽  
Rachel Pateman ◽  
Chris Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Geographic Spread ◽  
Chemical Contaminant ◽  
The Uk

Citizen science and food is part of a new programme of work to explore how we can involve the communities we serve when building the evidence-base on which policy decisions are made. Citizen science is an approach that can provide high volumes of data with a wide geographic spread. It is relatively quick to deploy and allows access to evidence we would ordinarily have difficulty collating. This methodology has been endorsed by the European Commission for Research, Science and Innovation. There is no one size fits all definition, but citizen science projects involves engaging with communities and asking them to be part of the project, either through engaging them in data collection or through other ways of co-creation. For participants, citizen science offers learning opportunities, the satisfaction of contributing to scientific evidence and the potential to influence policy. It can also give us data which is high in volume, has wide geographical spread, is relatively quick to deploy and that we couldn’t access any other way. Projects using these methods often involve engaging with communities and asking them to be part of the project. This can be either through working with them in data collection, or through co-creation. This report demonstrates that the research community are already undertaking numerous pieces of research that align with FSA’s evidence needs. This includes examples from the UK and other global communities. Participants in such research have collected data on topics ranging from food preparation in the home to levels of chemical contaminant in foods. The findings of this report outline that citizen science could allow the FSA to target and facilitate more systematic engagement with UK and global research communities, to help address key research priorities of the FSA.

scholarly journals What Will Happen to This Dog? A Qualitative Analysis of Rehoming Organisations' Pre-adoption Dog Behaviour Screening Policies and Procedures

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen E. Griffin ◽  
Elizabeth John ◽  
Tom Pike ◽  
Daniel S. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Safety Risk ◽  
Human Safety ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
The Uk

Rehoming organisations often undertake some type of behaviour evaluation to determine dogs' suitability for rehoming and/or the type of suitable home. Assessments can carry considerable weight in determining dogs' fates. Although evaluation of the validity and reliability of any test is important, a more fundamental consideration is if the nature of the information sought and the weight given to this in organisations' decision making is of more than anecdotal value. Therefore, this study's aim was to conduct a qualitative analysis of organisations' pre-adoption dog behaviour screenings and potential justifications, comparing this with the available scientific evidence. A written enquiry was sent electronically to rehoming organisations in the UK and US from February 2016-July 2017. Of 73 respondents, the majority conducted assessments for all dogs. Using a thematic analysis, nine themes and 71 sub-themes emerged concerning the types of information respondents aim to gather from assessments. The majority of respondents used, at least partially, pass/fail scoring, i.e., certain outcomes would lead to dogs being deemed unadoptable. Forty-one sub-themes and one theme were identified as potentially leading to a dog being deemed unadoptable. The evidence base for these factors was identified from the scientific literature relating to: increased risk for relinquishment, impact on a dog's quality of life, and human safety risk. Evidence supported 10 factors: “aggression towards people”, “aggression towards cats or other animals”, “aggression towards dogs”, “biting or snapping”, “resource guarding”, “activity level or exercise needs”, “destructiveness”, “housetrained”, “fearfulness”, and “knowledge of basic commands and/or general training”. Of those, seven were associated only with relinquishment risk, two (“resource guarding”, “knowledge of basic commands”) with human safety risk, and one (“fearfulness”) with both. Thus, for >85% of characteristics organisations deemed important for dogs' adoptability, scientific evidence to support this is lacking. More research is needed to investigate the value of behaviour assessments, especially concerning the assessment of factors that could pose a public safety risk. However, given the current lack of scientific support for many decisions regarding dogs' rehoming suitability and recognised pressure on resources, it is suggested that organisations should focus on pre-adoption adopter education and post-adoption support.

scholarly journals Comparing lateral flow testing with a rapid RT-PCR method for SARS-CoV-2 detection in the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Taylor ◽  
Ronan Calvez ◽  
Mark Atkins ◽  
Colin G Fink
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Lateral Flow ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Viral Loads ◽  
Pcr Method ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
Us Fda ◽  
The Uk

AbstractIn late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 emerged in the Wuhan province of China. Rapid global spread led to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 has become a vitally important tool in controlling the spread of the virus. Lateral flow devices (LFDs) offer the potential advantage of speed and on-site testing. The sensitivity of these devices compared to the gold standard RT-PCR has been questioned. We compared the performance of the Innova lateral flow kit, recommended by the UK government, with our rapid in-house RT-PCR protocol using stored positive patient samples. The LFD device was found to be 6,000-10,000 times less sensitive than RT-PCR for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Overall, the LFD detected 46.2% of the positives detected by RT-PCR. 50% of the LFD results were observed to be weak positives, only visible after careful examination by experienced laboratory staff. At lower viral loads, such as 10,000-100,000 RNA copies/ml, the LFD detected 22.2% of positives. In addition, two strong positives (3 and 1.5 million RNA copies/ml) were not detected by the LFD. The argument for use of LFD kits, despite their lack of sensitivity, is that they detect infectious virus and hence contagious individuals. At present, there is a lack of scientific evidence supporting this claim. The LFD used in the UK fails to identify individuals with considerable viral loads and has been subject to a class I recall by the US FDA but is still approved and recommended for use by the UK government. We believe that using LFD testing for assessing SARS-CoV-2 infection risk is a strategy which has risks that outweigh any benefits.

scholarly journals AMR Consumer Perceptions Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Gillespie ◽  
Maya King
Keyword(s):  
Action Plan ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
Consumer Survey ◽  
National Action Plan ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

As part of the UK national action plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is working to improve the scientific evidence base around consumer perceptions and understanding. A consumer survey was carried out in 2016 and 2019, and replicated in 2021, to understand current views and awareness, and to identify any changes over time.

Mine water heat and heat storage research opportunities at the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Monaghan ◽  
Vanessa Starcher ◽  
Hugh Barron ◽  
Fiona Fordyce ◽  
Helen Taylor-Curran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mine Water ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Resource Potential ◽  
Resource Sustainability ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Storage

<p>Mine water geothermal heat production and storage can provide a decarbonised source of energy for space heating and cooling, however the large resource potential has yet to be exploited widely. Besides economic, regulatory and licensing barriers, geoscientific uncertainties such as detailed understanding of thermal and hydrogeological subsurface processes, resource sustainability and potential environmental impacts remain.</p><p>The UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow is a research infrastructure for investigating shallow, low-temperature coal mine water heat energy resources available in abandoned and flooded mine workings at depths of around 50-90 m. It is an at-scale ‘underground laboratory’ of 12 boreholes, surface monitoring equipment and open data. The Glasgow Observatory is accepting requests for researchers and innovators to undertake their own experiments, test sensors and methods to increase the scientific evidence base and reduce uncertainty for this shallow geothermal technology.</p>

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