Ancient harbour infrastructure in the Levant: tracking the birth and rise of new forms of anthropogenic pressure

Beirut, Sidon and Tyre were major centres of maritime trade from the Bronze Age onwards. This economic prosperity generated increased pressures on the local environment, through urbanization and harbour development. Until now, however, the impact of expanding seaport infrastructure has largely been neglected and there is a paucity of data concerning the environmental stresses caused by these new forms of anthropogenic impacts. Sediment archives from Beirut, Sidon and Tyre are key to understanding human impacts in harbour areas because: (i) they lie at the heart of ancient trade networks; (ii) they encompass the emergence of early maritime infrastructure; and (iii) they enable human alterations of coastal areas to be characterized over long timescales. Here we report multivariate analyses of litho- and biostratigraphic data to probe human stressors in the context of their evolving seaport technologies. The statistical outcomes show a notable break between natural and artificial sedimentation that began during the Iron Age. Three anchorage phases can be distinguished: (i) Bronze Age proto-harbours that correspond to natural anchorages, with minor human impacts; (ii) semi-artificial Iron Age harbours, with stratigraphic evidence for artificial reinforcement of the natural endowments; and (iii) heavy human impacts leading to completely artificial Roman and Byzantine harbours

Sea-level change and storm surges in the context of climate change

This paper reviews the latest research in New Zealand surrounding the issues of sea-level rise and extreme sea levels in the context of global warming and variability in the Pacific-wide El Nino– Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Past records of climate, sea level (excluding tides) and sea and air temperatures have shown that they are continuously fluctuating over various long-term timescales of years, decades and centuries. This has made it very difficult to determine whether the anthropogenic effects such as increased levels of “greenhouse” gases are having an accelerating effect on global sea levels or an increased incidence of extreme storms. Over the past century, global sea level has risen by 10–25 cm, and is in line with the rise in relative sea level at New Zealand’s main ports of +1.7 mm yr –1. What has become very clear is the need to better understand interannual (year-to-year) and decadal variability in sea-level, as these larger signals of the order of 5–15 cm in annual-mean sea level have a significant “flow-on” effect on the long-term trend in sea level. The paper describes sea level variability in northern New Zealand—both long- and short-term—involved in assessing the regional trends in sea level. The paper also discusses the relative contributions of tides, barometric pressure and wind set-up in causing extreme sea levels during storm surges. Some recent research also looked at a related question—Is there any sign of increased storminess, and hence storm surge, in northern New Zealand due to climate change? The paper concludes that, while no one can be completely sure how sea-level and the degree of storminess will respond in the near future, what is clear is that interannual and decadal variability in sea level is inextricably linked with Pacific-wide ENSO response and longer inter-decadal shifts in the Pacific climate regime, such as the latest shift in 1976

Intercepted Silvanidae [Insecta: Coleoptera] From The International Falls, MN [USA] Port-Of-Entry

Silvanidae species recorded in association with imported commodities, at United States ports-of-entry, have not been comprehensively studied. The present study examines the species of beetles of the family Silvanidae intercepted during agricultural quarantine inspections at the International Falls, MN port-of-entry. A total of 244 beetles representing two subfamilies, three genera, and four species of Silvanidae were collected between June 2016 and June 2017. Taxa were associated with 13 imported commodities and recorded from seven countries of origin. A substantial proportion (97.4%) of the records included Silvanus lewisi Reitter and Ahasverus advena (Waltl), two cosmopolitan species associated with dried stored products and various imported commodities. Both Psammoecus simonis Grouvelle and an undetermined species of the genus Psammoecus (sp. 01) were intercepted on a single occasion

Oil and international cooperation

The more that states depend on oil exports, the less cooperative they become: they grow less likely to join intergovernmental organizations, to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of international judicial bodies, and to agree to binding arbitration for investment disputes. This pattern is robust to the use of country and year fixed effects, to alternative measures of the key variables, and to the exclusion of all countries in the Middle East. To explain this pattern, we consider the economic incentives that foster participation in international institutions: the desire to attract foreign investment and to gain access to foreign markets. Oil-exporting states, we argue, find it relatively easy to achieve these aims without making costly commitments to international institutions. In other words, natural resource wealth liberates states from the economic pressures that would otherwise drive them toward cooperation

Balancing conservation with national development: a socio-economic case study of the alternatives to the Serengeti Road

Developing countries often have rich natural resources but poor infrastructure to capitalize on them, which leads to significant challenges in terms of balancing poverty alleviation with conservation. The underlying premise in development strategies is to increase the socio-economic welfare of the people while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability, however these objectives are often in direct conflict. National progress is dependent on developing infrastructure such as effective transportation networks, however roads can be ecologically catastrophic in terms of disrupting habitat connectivity and facilitating illegal activity. How can national development and conservation be balanced? The proposed Serengeti road epitomizes the conflict between poverty alleviation on one hand, and the conservation of a critical ecosystem on the other. We use the Serengeti as an exemplar case-study in which the relative economic and social benefits of a road can be assessed against the ecological impacts. Specifically, we compare three possible transportation routes and ask which route maximizes the socio-economic returns for the people while minimizing the ecological costs. The findings suggest that one route in particular that circumnavigates the Serengeti links the greatest number of small and medium sized entrepreneurial businesses to the largest labour force in the region. Furthermore, this route connects the most children to schools, provisions the greatest access to hospitals, and opens the most fertile crop and livestock production areas, and does not compromise the ecology and tourism revenue of the Serengeti. This route would improve Tanzania’s food security and self-reliance and would facilitate future infrastructure development which would not be possible if the road were to pass through the Serengeti. This case study provides a compelling example of how a detailed spatial analysis can balance the national objectives of poverty alleviation while maintaining ecological integrity

Trade in international maritime services : how much does policy matter?

Maritime transport costs significantly impede international trade. The authors examine why these costs are so high in some countries, and, quantify the importance of two explanations: restrictive trade policies, and private anti-competitive practices. Both matter, they find, but private anti-competitive practices have the greater impact. Trade liberalization, and the breakup of private carrier agreements, would lead to a reduction in average liner transport prices of a third, and cost savings of up to $ 3 billion on goods carried to the United States alone. The policy implications are clear: not only should government policy be further liberalized, but there should be stronger international disciplines on restrictive business practices. The authors propose developing such disciplines in the current round of services negotiations at the World Trade Organization.Transport and Trade Logistics,Ports&Waterways,Common Carriers Industry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research

Cryptococcus neoformans ex vivo capsule size is associated with intracranial pressure and host immune response in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis

<p>Background. The Cryptococcus neoformans polysaccharide capsule is a well-characterised virulence factor with immunomodulatory properties. The organism and/or shed capsule is postulated to raise intracranial pressure(ICP) in cryptococcal meningitis(CM) by mechanical obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) outflow. Little is known regarding capsule phenotype in human cryptococcosis. We investigated the relationship of ex vivo CSF capsular phenotype with ICP and CSF immune response, as well as in vitro phenotype.</p> <p>Methods. 134 HIV-infected Ugandan adults with CM had serial lumbar punctures with measurement of CSF opening pressures, quantitative cultures, ex vivo capsule size and shedding, viscosity, and CSF cytokines. 108 had complete data. Induced capsular size and shedding were measured in vitro for 48 C. neoformans isolates.</p> <p>Results. Cryptococcal strains producing larger ex vivo capsules in the baseline(pre-treatment) CSF correlated with higher ICP(P=.02), slower rate of fungal clearance(P=.02), and paucity of CSF inflammation, including decreased CSF white blood cell(WBC) count(P<.001), interleukin(IL)-4(P=.02), IL-6(P=.01), IL-7(P=.04), IL-8(P=.03), and interferon-gamma(P=.03). CSF capsule shedding did not correlate with ICP. On multivariable analysis, capsule size remained independently associated with ICP. Ex vivo capsular size and shedding did not correlate with that of the same isolates grown in vitro.</p> <P>Conclusions. Cryptococcal capsule size ex vivo is an important contributor to virulence in human cryptococcal meningitis.</P&gt