A REVIEW OF STUDY DESIGNS FOR THE DETECTION OF LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF OFFSHORE PETROLEUM ACTIVITIES

Abstract Under the Canadian Fisheries Act, pulp and paper mills and metal mines must conduct a cyclical monitoring program for potential environmental effects that includes a fish survey. Study designs for the fish survey have been evolving over the past few years, and there has been increased emphasis on the use of small-bodied fish species. Increasing concerns about the potential impacts of sampling programs on the fish populations in smaller receiving waters have led us to develop non-lethal sampling methodologies that will satisfy the information requirements for the environmental effects monitoring program. This manuscript outlines the use of a non-lethal sampling program to collect information on age distributions, growth rates, reproductive performance and fish condition in populations of slimy sculpin inhabiting forested and agricultural sections of a small New Brunswick river.

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Benefits of Outdoor Sports for Society. A Systematic Literature Review and Reflections on Evidence

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16060937 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 937 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Barbara Eigenschenk ◽

Andreas Thomann ◽

Mike McClure ◽

Larissa Davies ◽

Maxine Gregory ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Outdoor Sports ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

The Social ◽

Study Designs ◽

Benefits And Costs

The combination of physical activity and being in nature is recognized as providing a range of significant benefits. The objective of this literature review was to compile an overview of the social benefits and costs associated with outdoor sports within the academic literature and to reflect on the quality of underlying evidence that supports the relationship. A systematic review was carried out with seven partners from different European countries, including Bulgaria, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. From a total of 17,560 studies identified, 133 studies were selected with relevant data extracted to standardized forms. The selected studies have been analyzed with qualitative research methods. A meta-analysis could not be conducted due to the heterogeneity of the study designs and outcome measures. As a result, the review gives an overview of the social impacts associated with outdoor sports which have been clustered to six broad categories: physical health, mental health and wellbeing, education and lifelong learning, active citizenship, crime reduction, and anti-social behavior, as well as additional benefits. The review furthermore revealed gaps in the evidence base which are especially notable in the long-term effects that outdoor sports can have on personal and social development.

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Effect of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs targeting remission in axial spondyloarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keaa268 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (11) ◽

pp. 3158-3171

Author(s):

Ana Rita Cruz-Machado ◽

Santiago Rodrigues-Manica ◽

Joana Leite Silva ◽

Irina Alho ◽

Constança Coelho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Activity Score ◽

Axial Spondyloarthritis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Inactive Disease ◽

Biologic Dmards ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Secondary Endpoints ◽

Study Designs

Abstract Objectives To assess the efficacy of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) in achieving Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society partial remission (ASAS-PR) and/or Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score inactive disease (ASDAS-ID), as remission-like surrogates, in axial SpA (axSpA). Methods Data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), including long-term extensions, were included. A systematic literature review was performed using the MEDLINE database (first search May 2018, updated February 2020) and PICO criteria according to Patients—adults with radiographic or non-radiographic axSpA; Intervention—any bDMARD; Comparator—placebo and/or any different drug; Outcomes—ASAS-PR and/or ASDAS-ID as primary or secondary endpoints. Meta-analysis was performed after assessment of the homogeneity of study designs, populations and outcomes. Results After screening 155 references, a total of 22 RCTs and 28 long-term extensions were retrieved. ASAS-PR was the dominant remission-like definition used. Concerning TNF inhibitors, 14/17 RCTs provided evidence of efficacy in reaching remission at different time points: 12, 16, 24 and 28 weeks (ASAS-PR in 16–62% of patients and ASDAS-ID in 24–40% of patients). With a limited number of studies available, IL-17A inhibitors exhibited remission rates of 15–21% for ASAS-PR and 11–16% for ASDAS-ID at week 16. A meta-analysis regarding ASAS-PR was performed considering RCTs with a similar duration (12, 16 or 24 weeks). The relative risk for achieving remission was 3.864 (95% CI 2.937, 5.085). Conclusion bDMARDs have a clear impact in axSpA remission evaluated by ASAS-PR. Nevertheless, these data show an unmet need for improved reporting of remission-like outcomes.

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D. F. Boesch & N. N. Rabalais, editors. Long-term Environmental Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas Development, x, 708 pp. Elsevier, 1987. Price £85.00.

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s002531540005712x ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 863-863

Keyword(s):

Environmental Effects ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Oil And Gas Development ◽

Offshore Oil And Gas ◽

Offshore Oil

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The discontinuity of environmental effects monitoring in the Lower Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada: institutional challenges to long-term monitoring and cumulative effects management

Environmental Reviews ◽

10.1139/er-2017-0083 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 169-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Joshua G. Cronmiller ◽

Bram F. Noble

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Environmental Monitoring ◽

Environmental Effects ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Institutional Arrangements ◽

Cumulative Effects ◽

Regulatory Decision ◽

Monitoring Programs

Long-term regional environmental monitoring, coupled with shorter-term and more localized monitoring carried out under regulatory permitting processes, is foundational to identifying, understanding, and effectively managing cumulative environmental effects. However, monitoring programs that emerge to support cumulative effects science are often short-lived initiatives or disconnected from land use planning and regulatory decision making. This paper examines the history and evolution of environmental monitoring in the Lower Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada, and the enabling and constraining influences of institutional arrangements. Methods involved a review of regional-scale monitoring programs based on an analysis of monitoring agency mandates, performance reports, and external program reviews, supplemented by discussions with monitoring program or agency key informants to triangulate results. Results show that monitoring to support cumulative effects understanding in the Lower Athabasca has advanced considerably, especially since the mid-1990s, but its relevance to, and impact on, cumulative effects management and decision making has been stifled by institutional arrangements. Monitoring has been episodic, reflecting shifting priorities and competing mandates; criticized by stakeholders based on concerns about transparency, credibility, influence over decision making; and characterized by short-lived commitments by the agencies involved. This has generated significant uncertainty about the stability of institutional arrangements to support long-term environmental monitoring, and tensions between the need for scientific autonomy for credible science whilst ensuring the pursuit of monitoring questions that are relevant to the day-to-day needs of regulatory decision makers. Regional monitoring programs require, at a minimum, clear vision and agreed-upon monitoring questions that are of scientific and management value, meaningful and balanced stakeholder engagement, and a clear governance process to ensure credibility and influence of monitoring results on decision making.

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Variance component analysis of body mass in a wild population of deer (Odocoileus virginianus): results from two decades of research

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr12224 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 40 (7) ◽

pp. 588 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephen L. Webb ◽

Kenneth L. Gee ◽

Randy W. DeYoung ◽

Seth M. Harju

Keyword(s):

Odocoileus Virginianus ◽

Body Mass ◽

Environmental Effects ◽

Phenotypic Traits ◽

Phenotypic Variance ◽

Components Of Variance ◽

Habitat Improvement ◽

Capture Recapture ◽

Sources Of Variation

Context Long-term studies of large, vertebrate mammals using capture–recapture data are scarce, even though long-term ecological studies are requisite to understanding quantitative genetics and evolutionary processes that can be applied as part of management programs. Aims Objectives were to (1) partition components of variation in body mass to understand the differential effects of environmental variation on the sexes during ontogeny, to better prescribe habitat-improvement projects, and (2) estimate repeatability to assess potential for selection on body mass. Methods We used a 23-year dataset (1983–2005) of capture–recapture records of wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to estimate components of variance and repeatability of body mass. We used an animal-model approach that employed the use of general linear mixed models and restricted maximum likelihood to adjust for the effects of age (i.e. fixed effect), and to partition the total phenotypic variance into among-individual (i.e. the deer), permanent environmental (i.e. year of birth) and temporary environmental (i.e. year of measurement and residual) effects (all modelled as random effects). Key results We found that body mass increased with age in both sexes, repeatability of body mass was 0.595 for females and 0.716 for males, and among-individual variation was more influential on body mass than were permanent and temporary environmental effects combined. Year of birth was more important in males than females, but changed during the course of ontogeny for both sexes. Year of measurement did not influence post-rut body mass in males, but did contribute to variation in body mass of females. Conclusions These long-term data offer insights into the sources of variation that influence body mass of deer, which can be used to understand how environmental sources of variation influence phenotypic traits, and for developing management plans and making selection decisions. Implications Knowledge of repeatability (as an upper limit to heritability) can be used to make management decisions related to selection, culling and breeding, whereas understanding environmental effects can lead to better management recommendations (e.g. habitat-improvement projects).

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