Post-disaster community tourism recovery: the tsunami and Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Tourism is highly vulnerable to external, non-controllable events. A natural disaster can affect the local tourism industry in numerous ways, and such events are particularly devastating for small communities whose local economy is heavily dependent on the sector. Loss of infrastructure plus negative media stories can have long-term ramifications for the destination. In spite of the economic importance of tourism, post-disaster recovery efforts in this sector are often overlooked by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which focus on more traditional livelihoods such as agriculture or fishing. This paper describes Mercy Corps' support of tourism recovery activities in Arugam Bay, a remote village on the east coast of Sri Lanka, following the 2004 tsunami. The local economic base is built largely on two sectors: community tourism and fishing. As many other actors were supporting recovery in the local fishing industry, Mercy Corps concentrated on revitalising the tourism sector.     

Body mass index and serum chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran levels

Several studies have found that current levels of 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in serum lipids are related to age with older persons generally having higher levels. To account for this age pattern, reference ranges based on national samples have been established in order to allow determination of background levels for regional studies. In several studies, body mass index (BMI), has also been associated with current 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin levels with increasing body mass index related to increasing levels. We measured lipid-adjusted serum levels for all 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and furans in 62 chemical manufacturing workers with chlorophenol exposures and 36 workers without chlorophenol exposures employed at the same location. We then assessed the impact of age and BMI on the serum levels of all these compounds in the presence of other potential confounders. We found that both factors are important independent determinants of serum levels of 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and furans. Specifically, age and BMI are both important factors for assessing background levels of 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, 1,2,3,7,8 pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and the calculated total toxic equivalency. BMI, but not age, is important for assessing background levels of higher chlorinated dioxins and some hexachlorofurans. We conclude that age and BMI are both important considerations when comparing a potentially exposed group to a referent group, or to national norms. Further, age and BMI may also be important in epidemiology studies where back-extrapolation from current dioxin levels is used to assess historical chlorophenol exposure.     

Relatedness communicated in lemur scent

Lemurs are the most olfactory-oriented of primates, yet there is still only a basic level of understanding of what their scent marks communicate. We analyzed scent secretions from Milne-Edwards' sifakas (Propithecus edwardsi) collected in their natural habitat of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. We sought to test whether the scent mark could signal genetic relatedness in addition to species, sex, season, and individuality. We not only found correlations (r ²?=?0.38, P?=?0.017) between the total olfactory fingerprint and genetic relatedness but also between relatedness and specific components of the odor, despite the complex environmental signals from differences in diet and behavior in a natural setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an association between genetic relatedness and chemical communication in a wild primate population. Furthermore, we found a variety of compounds that were specific to each sex and each sampling period. This research shows that scent marks could act as a remote signal to avoid inbreeding, optimize mating opportunities, and potentially aid kin selection.     

Prenatal evaluation of fetal neck masses in preparation for the EXIT procedure: the value of pulmonary Doppler ultrasonography (PDU)

Sonographic demonstration of normal tracheal diameter and breathing-related lung fluid flow at 30 weeks' gestation in a fetus with a giant neck mass confirmed patent airways, thus avoiding an EXIT procedure. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pulmonary function changes in Chinese hamsters exposed six months to diesel exhaust

Chinese hamsters were exposed for eight hours per day to automotive diesel exhaust emissions which were diluted with air (18 to 1) and had a particulate level of 6.4 mg/m³. Pulmonary function measurements were made after six months exposure. Body weight (BW), lung weight (LW), vital capacity (VC), residual volume by water displacement (RV_w) and by gas dilution (RV_D), alveolar volume (V_A), and carbon monoxide transfer factor (D_LCO) were measured. LW showed a significant increase in the diesel exposed animals (P < 0.01) while VC, RV_W, and D_LCO showed decreases (P < 0.01). Static deflation volume-pressure curves showed depressed deflation volumes for diesel exposed animals when volumes were corrected for body weight and even greater depressed volumes when volumes were corrected for lung weight. However, when volumes were expressed as percent vital capacity, the diesel exposed animals had higher lung volumes at 0 and 5 cm H₂O. Results of the pathological examination of the lung tissue will be necessary for final analysis of our findings. However, preliminary interpretation indicates possible emphysematous changes which are compatible with the observed decrease in D_LCO.     

The private and social economics of bulk electricity storage

The ability to store excess intermittent renewable electricity is increasingly being seen as a key option for integrating large quantities of renewable capacity. However, intermittent energy sources currently account for very small amounts of total generation. Despite this fact, policymakers have begun implementing requirements that will dramatically increase the amount of bulk storage capacity. This paper examines the social benefits provided by bulk storage in the Texas electricity market, which has a large amount of renewable capacity relative to other states, but still quite limited renewable penetration. We focus on the impact of arbitraging electricity across time—a major service of bulk storage. Using current storage technologies, we demonstrate that electricity arbitrage will increase daily CO₂ emissions by an average of 0.19 tons for each MWh stored. In addition, daily SO₂ emissions will increase by an average of 1.89 pounds/MWh while NO_X emissions will fall by an average of 0.15 pounds/MWh.