Novel operations research methods for efficiently determining irreplaceable sites for conservation

We examine the irreplaceability of sites in the context of the species set covering problem and the maximal covering species problem. We show that a succession of 0-1 programming problems can be solved to quickly determine the set of irreplaceable sites. For the widely available Oregon data set, we find a general lack of trend in the number of irreplaceable sites with the number of sites available for selection used. Moreover, we observe that irreplaceability at one level of resource may not be a predictor of irreplaceability at a higher or a lower level of resource. Finally, we investigate the economic value of irreplaceable sites by trial removals of those sites. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Charles S. ReVelle.     

First application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis to neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a dominantly inherited cancer predisposition syndrome that is caused bymutations in the NF2 gene. We report here the first clinical preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) forNF2. A protocol was developed to simultaneously amplify the mutation and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located within the gene. The mutation and polymorphism were analysed by simultaneous fluorescent single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) on an automated DNA sequencer. The mutation, carried by the male partner, was a single base pair substitution affecting a splice site in intron 4 of the gene. The female partner was infertile due to polycystic ovary syndrome and would require IVF to conceive. The couple was found to be informative at a linked intragenic SNP situated in the 5′ untranslated region of the gene. The SNP was included in the assay to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis due to allele dropout (ADO). The couple underwent three cycles of treatment during which a total of 43 blastomeres were biopsied from 31 embryos. Amplification at both loci was obtained in 35 cells (81%). A total of five embryos were transferred, two in the first cycle, two in the second and one in the third. No pregnancy ensued. The results of the diagnoses indicated that, in this couple, the inheritance of the mutation may be non-Mendelian. Out of a total of 32 embryos tested only four were found not to carry the mutation. The reasons for this apparent skew remain unknown. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of Polyurethane Foam Environmental Monitoring Tools for the Recovery and Release of Viruses

Food and Environmental Virology - The U.S. FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule emphasizes the importance of an effective environmental monitoring (EM) program....     

Turning rhetoric into practice: Integrating tqm into plant operations

Often a management theory fails in practice not because the theory is without merit, but because it was improperly applied. The integration of TQM into plant operations can be accomplished through a four-step circular process: (1) analysis and identification, (2) design, (3) implementation, and (4) evaluation and adjustment. The author outlines these steps in detail and discusses some practical parameters that should be considered before embarking on a TQM program, including the current management philosophy, plant size, and time management.     

Experts under the microscope: the Wivenhoe Dam case

Prosecution of experts in the wake of disasters has emerged as common in the context of increasing social intolerance of risk. This paper examines expert blame using as a case study the decisions of engineers who operated Wivenhoe Dam during the Queensland floods in January 2011 and the criticisms of those decisions by the subsequent Commission of Inquiry. Our analysis draws on the literature on organisational safety, organisational learning and expertise to examine the relevance of the criteria against which the engineers were judged, the relevant competence of those who made this assessment and the broader implications of such exercises. Our analysis shows that lay judgements of expert practice can be misleading, as evidenced by the Commission of Inquiry’s misguided focus on procedural adherence. We argue that such inquiries—where the focus is on assigning blame—detract from opportunities to learn from incidents and can negatively impact on professional practices. If the aim is to make future disasters less likely, then inquiries that take this approach may be failing in this endeavour, or at least not maximising their contribution.     

A guide to using the internet to monitor and quantify the wildlife trade

The unrivaled growth in e-commerce of animals and plants presents an unprecedented opportunity to monitor wildlife trade to inform conservation, biosecurity, and law enforcement. Using the internet to quantify the scale of the wildlife trade (volume and frequency) is a relatively recent and rapidly developing approach that lacks an accessible framework for locating relevant websites and collecting data. We produced an accessible guide for internet-based wildlife trade surveillance. We detailed a repeatable method involving a systematic internet search, with search engines, to locate relevant websites and content. For data collection, we highlight web-scraping technology as an efficient way to collect data in an automated fashion at regularly timed intervals. Our guide is applicable to the multitude of trade-based contexts because researchers can tailor search keywords for specific taxa or derived products and locations of interest. We provide information for working with the diversity of websites used in wildlife trade. For example, to locate relevant content on social media (e.g., posts or groups), each social media platform should be examined individually via the site's internal search engine. A key advantage of using the internet to study wildlife trade is the relative ease of access to an increasing amount of trade-related data. However, not all wildlife trade occurs online and it may occur on unobservable sections of the internet.