The “agitator”: an inexpensive device for culturing large numbers of fragile marine invertebrate larvae

The “agitator”, a device designed for culturing lecithotrophic echinoderm larvae, is described. The unit consists of an open system which is easily constructed and is made up of a base which holds the culturing baskets as well as a lid or manifold carrying a tube which transports fresh seawater into each culture, gently stirring it and eliminating any decaying embryos. The device is scalable and water flow can be adjusted for laminar flow or slow dripping. The method has been used to successfully rear large numbers of lecithotrophic larvae of the starfish Solaster stimpsoni. The agitator could be used to culture any fragile planktonic organisms that require an extended rearing time.     

Mass casualty incident after the Taba terrorist attack: an organisational and medical challenge

Two suicide bombings in and around Taba, Egypt, on 7 October 2004 created a complex medical and organisational situation. Since most victims were Israeli tourists, the National Emergency and Disaster Management Division handled their evacuation and treatment. This paper describes the event chronologically, as well as the organisational and management challenges confronted and applied solutions. Forty-nine emergency personnel and physicians were flown early to the disaster area to reinforce scarce local medical resources. Two hundred casualties were recorded: 32 dead and 168 injured. Eilat hospital was transformed into a triage facility. Thirty-two seriously injured patients were flown to two remote trauma centres in central Israel. Management of mass casualty incidents is difficult when local resources are inadequate. An effective response should include: rapid transportation of experienced trauma teams to the disaster zone; conversion of local medical amenities into a triage centre; and rapid evacuation of the seriously injured to higher level medical facilities.