Observations on the life history of the blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena maculosa

The life-history of the blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena maculosa (Hoyle) was observed in laboratory aquaria. Eggs from a brooding female were bred through to the next generation. The life cycle lasts approximately 7 months–4 months from hatching to maturity, 1 month from copulation to egg-laying, and an estimated 2 months for embryonic development. This venomous octopus has several unique and interesting habits. Eggs are not attached to a substratum but are carried by the mother throughout their embryonic life. She assumes a brooding posture for the greater part of the time and cradles the eggs between her raised skirt and body. However, she can move froely with her clutch of eggs, conveying them individually or in clusters along her arms from one sucker to the next as occasion demands. Embryos reverse position within their capsules 1 week prior to hatching, and hatch at the distal end of the capsule, mantle-first. Development is direct; there is no planktonic stage. The young immediately assume a benthic habit and, within a few hours, consume the remnant of the yolk-sac which they carry with them from the egg. Juveniles begin to feed on pieces of crab within a week of hatching, and to kill and eat live crabs within a month. They pierce the carapace of their prey at the abdominal articulation and with the aid, apparently, of venom from their posterior salivary glands suck out the partially pre-digested tissues. The ink gland is relatively small in size and is mainly used between the second and the fourth week of juvenile life. Chromatophores begin to function during embryonic life. After hatching there is a progressive change in coloration, and the iridescent blue rings which characterize the species appear at the age of about 6 weeks. Mating is a more active process than has been recorded for other octopuses. The male mounts the female and clasps her securely. After a short struggle the female becomes quite passive, almost inert. Copulation lasts about one hour. The unusual life-history of H. maculosa suggests that it is a highly evolved octopus species. Its direct development, simple diet, and rapid rate of growth make the animal relatively easy to cultivate for experimental or pharmacological purposes.     

Variation in vegetation cover and livestock mobility needs in Sahelian West Africa

A new approach was developed to evaluate the implications of the spatiotemporal variability of green vegetation for the dispersion of livestock that is required to access quality forage in semi-arid Africa. Maximum NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) at 1 km² resolution was determined for concentric rings (0–31 km radii) around 227 individual sample locations within the study area for 14 dates (between 1 April to 1 November) annually over the 2000–2010 period. A sigmoidal curve was fitted to points within the maximum NDVI × distance radii space to determine the asymptote distance (AD) – the radius at which further dispersion from the sample location does not lead to significant gains in access to green forage. AD was found to: increase with latitude (or increasing aridity); decline as the rainy season proceeds; and show no trend over the 2000–2010 period. These results introduce much-needed empirical data to current debates surrounding the scales of governance to support livestock mobility.     

Synthesis and recommendations of the economic evaluation of OHS interventions at the company level conference

PROBLEM: In today's economic environment, enterprises may not be able to fund every new project aimed at promoting health and safety in the workplace. Company level economic evaluation of interventions can provide guidance in sound business decision-making. The Economic Evaluation of Occupational Health and Safety Interventions at the Company Level Meeting brought together members of the global occupational safety and health community interested in encouraging the use of economic knowledge and tools to evaluate economic gains from occupational health and safety interventions. DISCUSSION: Discussions of the six models presented explored similarities, reliability, and potential use by corporate enterprises, small and medium enterprises, developing and transitioning nations, and economic theorists. Each group provided specific projects that could be pursued to advance knowledge in the area of economic evaluation at the company level. CONCLUSION: This conference established pathway to incorporate economic evaluation of health and safety interventions or programs at the workplace.     

Effective and reusable nano-silica synthesized from barley and wheat grass for the removal of nickel from agricultural wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, a comparative analysis was performed on the extraction of nickel ions (Ni2+) from agricultural wastewater using nanosilica (NS)...     

Assessing hygiene and health related improvements of a rural water supply and sanitation programme in northern Ghana

A case control study was carried out to assess hygiene and health related improvements of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Hygienic improvements were measured in terms of sources of water collection and storage arrangements, waste disposal, hand washing, food storage arrangements, and defecation and practices associated with faeces. The perception of women on the mode of transmission and treatment of selected water and sanitation related diseases were the criteria used to assess health related improvements. Comparison of the results in the programme and non-programme communities indicates that the water and sanitation programme has achieved some degree of success in the areas of water use and water and food storage for the beneficiaries. However, little has been accomplished in changing people's attitude towards the disposal of household, animal and human waste. In addition, the programme has so far been minimally effective in enhancing women's knowledge about the transmission and treatment of water and sanitation related diseases.     

‘Complex crisis’ and the rise of collaborative natural resource governance: institutional trajectory of a wildlife governance experience in Ghana

Natural resource governance is underpinned by institutions which evolve ‘circumstantially’ over time. An attempt at understanding the contemporary institutions and governance structure of a resource requires an in-depth ethnographic enquiry. Adapting a four-phase institutional analysis framework, this study discusses the evolution and adaptation of wildlife governance structures and institutions using the unique experience of Boabeng–Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana. The study adopted a transdisciplinary research approach which was participatory and consultative. The key observations are that: wildlife institutions have gone through three main evolutionary phases, a pre-collaborative phase, which was exclusively underpinned by informal institutions; a critical juncture stage, where contextual challenges led to an adaptive response; the third and contemporary phase is a collaborative governance regime, where the erstwhile informal institutions have been complemented by formal state structures and institutions to synergistically enhance viability of the wildlife species. In spite of the problems posed to community members by the monkeys (wildlife), the study still observes a cordial human–wildlife relationship. Based on the study outcomes, we derive four key conclusions which have implications for institutionalism and natural resource governance.     

The 2004 tsunami and mental health in Thailand: a longitudinal analysis of one‐and two‐year post‐disaster data

Some 280,000 people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004. This cohort study examined its impact on mental health one and two years later. It did so by investigating the association between six consequent variables (personal injury, loss of home, loss of business, death of a family member, injury to a family member, or loss of a family member's business) and mental health, as measured by the 36‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), among residents in four provinces of Thailand. One year later, participants who suffered a personal injury, the loss of a business, or the loss of a family member reported poorer mental health than those who were unaffected. Two years later, participants who experienced the loss of a family member reported poorer mental health than those who were unaffected. This research shows that such a disaster may have long‐lasting ramifications for mental health, and that diverse losses may influence mental health differently.