The Doha model of organ donation and transplantation: thinking beyond citizenship

This paper reviews the policy and practice of organ donation and transplantation in Qatar that has developed since January 2011. The important features of the Doha Model (the ‘Model’) are explored, including: (i) all legal residents of Qatar have an equal right to access deceased donor organs and transplantation regardless of their citizenship status; (ii) no prioritisation in organ allocation is given to Qatari citizens; (iii) a multilingual and multicultural education and promotional program about donation has been implemented to engage the diverse national communities resident within Qatar; (iv) financial incentives or fungible rewards for living or deceased donation are prohibited. The ethical framework of this policy will be examined in the light of the national self-sufficiency paradigm, which advocates reciprocity and solidarity among resident populations seeking to meet all needs for transplantation equitably. We review some preliminary evidence of the impact of the Model with respect to engagement of a highly diverse multinational population in a donation and transplantation program, and argue that the Model may inform policy and practice in other countries, particularly those with non-citizen resident populations.

Tourism, guest workers, and resident immiserization

This paper analyses the impact of a boom in tourism on the welfare of the residents in the presence of guest workers. Guest workers are employed in the tourism industry and they consume non-traded goods and services. This consumption by guest workers converts non-traded goods into
exportables and creates guest worker generated monopoly power in trade in the home country. It is established that under certain plausible conditions a tourist boom (in the presence of guest workers) results in the immiserization of the resident population. This result arises due to an adverse movement in the terms-of-trade, specifically those associated with the guest workers consumption of non-traded goods. These results are based on a static model of trade and may not be necessarily
valid in a growth model with guest workers, tourism and labor shortages. It is not the object of the paper to be either anti-tourism or anti-guest worker, but only to show a possible source of resident immiserization that is associated with guest workers. This possibility may require correction via a suitable policy both in static and dynamic models.

Non-invasive sampling techniques : applications for mapping the generic variation of powerful owls

The Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) is endemic to Australia, being resident in the three eastern mainland states and the Australian Capital Territory. It is classified nationally as of conservation significance and vulnerable in the state of Victoria. The elusive nature of this owl, along with its dispersed distribution, low population density and difficulty in identifying individual birds, limit the collection of ecological data. Molecular methods can be used to obtain crucial ecological information, essential for Powerful Owl conservation.

Non-invasive sampling is a relatively new method used for obtaining genetic material from free-ranging animals. This type of sampling however, is generally overlooked as a potential DNA source. Shed hair and feathers, faeces, urine, skins and eggshells are all potential sources of DNA. Non-invasive sampling regimes may be the only alternative for the genetic analysis of endangered and/or elusive species that are difficult to sample otherwise.

Powerful Owls moult annually. Shed feathers therefore, can be collected from under roost trees and used for genetic analysis. Feathers collected provide DNA that is unique to the individual and can provide additional ecological knowledge of the species.

In this study we collected shed Powerful Owl feathers during 2003 and 2004. In order to obtain samples from across the owl's large distribution, public awareness about the project via the way of flyers, mail-outs, media sources (radio, newspapers and magazines), email lists and public seminars was initiated. Overall, the collection strategy was very successful with over 500 Powerful Owl feather samples being collected.

Genetic information obtained from the analysis of DNA from feathers can enable a more rigorous assessment of population viability of the Powerful Owl. Specifically designed molecular markers will facilitate unequivocal identification of individual birds ("DNA fingerprinting"). Through the application of molecular techniques we can collect ecological information about the Powerful Owl such as, genetic divergence, population structure, dispersal patterns, migration and inbreeding. These questions can not be addressed via traditional data collection and will contribute significantly to the successful conservation of the Powerful Owl and potentially other raptor species.

Comparison of a traditional and non-traditional residential care facility for persons living with dementia and the impact of the environment on occupational engagement

BACKGROUND: Dementia residential facilities can be described as traditional or non-traditional facilities. Non-traditional facilities aim to utilise principles of environmental design to create a milieu that supports persons experiencing cognitive decline. This study aimed to compare these two environments in rural Australia, and their influence on residents' occupational engagement. METHODS: The Residential Environment Impact Survey (REIS) was used and consists of: a walk-through of the facility; activity observation; interviews with residents and employees. Thirteen residents were observed and four employees interviewed. Resident interviews did not occur given the population diagnosis of moderate to severe dementia. Descriptive data from the walk-through and activity observation were analysed for potential opportunities of occupational engagement. Interviews were thematically analysed to discern perception of occupational engagement of residents within their facility. RESULTS: Both facilities provided opportunities for occupational engagement. However, the non-traditional facility provided additional opportunities through employee interactions and features of the physical environment. Interviews revealed six themes: Comfortable environment; roles and responsibilities; getting to know the resident; more stimulation can elicit increased engagement; the home-like experience and environmental layout. These themes coupled with the features of the environment provided insight into the complexity of occupational engagement within this population. CONCLUSION: This study emphasises the influence of the physical and social environment on occupational engagement opportunities. A non-traditional dementia facility maximises these opportunities and can support development of best-practice guidelines within this population.

Variation in the impact of non-native seaweeds along gradients of habitat degradation: a meta-analysis and an experimental test

Biological invasions are acknowledged among the main drivers of global changes in biodiversity. Despite compelling evidence of species interactions being strongly regulated by environmental conditions, there is a dearth of studies investi-gating how the effects of non-native species vary among areas exposed to different anthropogenic pressures. Focusing on marine macroalgae, we performed a meta-analysis to test whether and how the direction and magnitude of their effects on resident communities and species varies in relation to cumulative anthropogenic impact levels. The relationship between human impact levels and non-native species impact intensity emerged only for a reduced subset of the response variables examined. Yet, there was a trend for the effects of non-native species on community biomass and abundance and on species abundance to become less negative at heavily impacted sites. By contrast, the magnitude of negative effects of seaweed on community evenness tended to increase with human impact levels. The hypothesis of decreasing severity of invader’ impacts along a gradient of habitat degradation was also tested experimentally at a regional scale by comparing the effects of the removal of non-native alga,
Caulerpa cylindracea, on resident assemblages among rocky reefs exposed to different anthropogenic pressures. Assemblages at urban and pristine site did not differ when invaded, but did so when C. cylindracea was removed. Our results suggest that, despite the generally weak relationship between human impacts levels and non-native species impacts, more negative impacts can be expected in less stressful environments (i.e. less degraded or pristine sites), where competitive interactions are presumably the driving force structuring resident communities. Implementing strategies for controlling the establishment of non-native seaweeds should be, thus, considered a priority for preserving biodiversity in relatively pristine areas. On the other hand, control of invaders at degraded sites could be warranted to lessen their role as propagule sources

Migration strategy and pathogen risk: non-breeding distribution drives malaria prevalence in migratory waders

Pathogen exposure has been suggested as one of the factors shaping the myriad of migration strategies observed in nature. Two hypotheses relate migration strategies to pathogen infection: the 'avoiding the tropics hypothesis' predicts that pathogen prevalence and transmission increase with decreasing non-breeding (wintering) latitude, while the "habitat selection hypothesis" predicts lower pathogen prevalence in marine than in freshwater habitats. We tested these scarcely investigated hypotheses by screening wintering and resident wading shorebirds (Charadriiformes) for avian malaria blood parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus spp.) along a latitudinal gradient in Australia. We sequenced infections to determine if wintering migrants share malaria parasites with local shorebird residents, and we combined prevalence results with published data in a global comparative analysis. Avian malaria prevalence in Australian waders was 3.56% and some parasite lineages were shared between wintering migrants and residents, suggesting active transmission at wintering sites. In the global dataset, avian malaria prevalence was highest during winter and increased with decreasing wintering latitude, after controlling for phylogeny. The latitudinal gradient was stronger for waders that use marine and freshwater habitats (marine + freshwater) than for marine-restricted species. Marine + freshwater wader species also showed higher overall avian malaria parasite prevalence than marine-restricted species. By combining datasets in a global comparative analysis, we provide empirical evidence that migratory waders avoiding the tropics during the non-breeding season experience a decreased risk of malaria parasite infection. We also find global support for the hypothesis that marine-restricted shorebirds experience lower parasite pressures than shorebirds that also use freshwater habitats. Our study indicates that pathogen transmission may be an important driver of site selection for non-breeding migrants, a finding that contributes new knowledge to our understanding of how migration strategies evolve.