Minor Abnormalities of Testis Development in Mice Lacking the Gene Encoding the MAPK Signalling Component, MAP3K1

In mammals, the Y chromosome is a dominant male determinant, causing the bipotential gonad to develop as a testis. Recently, cases of familial and spontaneous 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) have been attributed to mutations in the human gene encoding mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1, MAP3K1, a component of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathway. In individuals harbouring heterozygous mutations in MAP3K1, dysregulation of MAPK signalling was observed in lymphoblastoid cell lines, suggesting a causal role for these mutations in disrupting XY sexual development. Mice lacking the cognate gene, Map3k1, are viable and exhibit the eyes open at birth (EOB) phenotype on a mixed genetic background, but on the C57BL/6J genetic background most mice die at around 14.5 dpc due to a failure of erythropoiesis in the fetal liver. However, no systematic examination of sexual development in Map3k1-deficient mice has been described, an omission that is especially relevant in the case of C57BL/6J, a genetic background that is sensitized to disruptions to testis determination. Here, we report that on a mixed genetic background mice lacking Map3k1 are fertile and exhibit no overt abnormalities of testis development. On C57BL/6J, significant non-viability is observed with very few animals surviving to adulthood. However, an examination of development in Map3k1-deficient XY embryos on this genetic background revealed no significant defects in testis determination, although minor abnormalities were observed, including an increase in gonadal length. Based on these observations, we conclude that MAP3K1 is not required for mouse testis determination. We discuss the significance of these data for the functional interpretation of sex-reversing MAP3K1 mutations in humans

The relationship between marine tourism and marine protection: A baseline study of Akaroa, New Zealand

Nature cruises and marine eco-tourism are primary attractions of Akaroa, one of Canterbury’s most popular tourism destinations, and more recently cruise ship port. Each of the last four decades have brought forth a new marine protection measure and increased marine tourism activity to the small town of Akaroa. A variety of marine protection measures are now in place in the area, including a Marine Mammal Sanctuary that came into effect in 1988; Pōhatu Marine Reserve, a ‘no-take’ reserve on the outer coast that came into effect in 1999; and an Akaroa Harbour Taiāpure – a community based fishery management model and committee that regulates fisheries through co-management with local Māori, established in 2006. In addition to these measures, a new marine reserve – the Akaroa Marine Reserve – has been formally approved by the Minister of Conservation and is due to be enacted in June 2014. The Akaroa Marine Reserve will be 475 hectares in size, and will be located on the southeast corner of the Akaroa Harbour. Included in this Reserve is the area surrounding Dan Rogers Bluff. It is important to note that although this new marine reserve was approved by government in April 2013, it was not yet in place at the time of this study. It is due to be enacted by parliament on 8 June 2014. The application for the Akaroa Marine Reserve has created significant debate within the Akaroa community, as many customary and recreational fishers who utilise this marine environment appear to view this ‘new’ reserve as either unnecessary or overly restrictive in respect of the range of activities to be permitted in this area. This study is intended, therefore, to act as a baseline study and ‘capture’ visitor and operator perspectives on the link between marine tourism and marine protection measures at a time when this issue is likely to be, at least for marine tourism operators, both prominent and salient

The study of rural change from a social scientific perspective: a literature review and annotated bibliography

This publication comprises a review of two decades of literature (1989-2009) on the social science of rural change. It was constructed as an aid to research on the changing nature of Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, with particular emphasis on the Cromwell and Makarora Districts. In these areas the rural landscape has changed as a result of the introduction of a wide variety of new economic and social activities. Traditional pastoral agriculture remains but has been supplemented with activities associated with tourism, recreation, hospitality, heritage and nature conservation, amenity and retirement residence and new crops such as grapes and export grade cherries. The publication has two parts. Part 1 is a Review Essay (pp.1-20) which synthesises the 165 research articles included in Part 2 – the Annotated Bibliography (pp.21-99). The review essay will help the reader navigate through the many annotations (which are listed in Part 2 alphabetically by first author name, not by topics or themes). The bibliographic material was drawn from social scientific journals, government reports, book chapters and conference proceedings and covers work on: neo-liberal (rural) restructuring and the conceptual transition from productivist to post-productivist/multi-functional rural spaces, new rural governance, rural commodification, neo-endogenous rural development (and the culture economy approach to rural revitalisation), amenity migration and more recent theorising about the emergent global and hybrid countryside.This Literature review and annotated bibliography is a product of a research project funded by the Faculty of Environment, Society and Design Research Seed Fund, Lincoln University Research Fund (LURF) and the Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences (BRCSS) network

Fast and slow resilience in the New Zealand tourism industry

In the tourism literature, there is considerable emphasis on resilience to immediate changes (e.g. natural disasters or financial shocks), yet there is merit in conceptualizing resilience as a dynamic long-term state, which exists across different levels of tourism from individual business owners, to destination and national-level activities. The concept of fast- and slow-onset disasters is relevant here (Lew, 2014), where the rate of change has significant implications for tourism destination management and resilience planning. Two New Zealand case study sites are presented below, to illustrate the interesting contrasts between the outcomes of a fast-onset disaster and an emerging slow-onset natural event from a resilience planning perspective. The first case study is from the West Coast of South Island, a peripheral region with a popular glacier and nature-based tourism industry. The second case study is the post-earthquake city of Christchurch. The West Coast case study describes a social-ecological system almost entirely reliant on nature-based tourism to sustain itself, acknowledging the close connection between tourism activity and community resilience against a background of (typically) incremental (although occasionally rapid) environmental change. In contrast, the Canterbury earthquakes affected a largely urban area and the impact of this event on tourism operators was immediate and sustained over many years post-earthquake. We suggest this fast-onset disaster was followed by slow recovery, and a growing awareness of the importance of adaptability and resilience to future events

Fast and slow resilience of tourism organisations in the New Zealand tourism sector

The New Zealand tourism sector is a nature-based industry facing a range of challenges caused by rapid and slow onset natural events (including earthquakes, volcanoes, climate change), as well as a range of social, political and economic factors. Resilience planning measures have been adopted across many scales and contexts, from government to destination and enterprise level initiatives. This conceptual paper documents the resilience planning approaches being developed in two South Island tourism destinations as a consequence of rapid change and uncertainty. It builds on the resilience literature addressing scale and rate of change, and draws conclusions about the resilience of tourism businesses and destinations facing both slow and rapid onset disasters

Geotourism and risk: A case study of a rockfall hazard at Fox Glacier, New Zealand

Rapid recession and thinning of mountain glaciers worldwide is resulting in environmental change that is altering the hazard-scape experienced by visitors. Relationships between rockfall and the changing glacier surface were explored at Fox Glacier, a glacier that is a key tourist destination. A simple rockfall model demonstrated that rocks could travel a further 50 metres out onto the receding glacier, compared to in 2008 when the glacier was advancing. Improving our understanding of natural hazards is essential to the sustainability of the industry given the importance of glacier-related tourism in the local and regional economies

Superseding sustainability: Conceptualising sustainability and resilience in response to the new challenges of tourism development

The theoretical concept of sustainability has much intuitive appeal in the study of tourism. Indeed sustainability became deeply embedded in tourism studies in the years since the UN Brundtland Report was released in the 1980s (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). It is now described as "perhaps the most prominent feature of contemporary tourism discourse" (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2010, p. 116). The importance of sustainability emerged initially in the 1980s from growing concern for the predominantly local impacts of tourism (Hall & Page, 1999; Mathieson & Wall, 1982). In challenging the ideology, discourse and hegemony of the UNWTO (Mowforth & Munt, 2008), which promoted tourism as a 'smokeless industry', the attention of the academic community has become increasingly focused on critical questions of tourism sustainability (Edington & Edington, 1986). The sustainability tradition has been taken up in a range of disciplinary fields including social anthropology (MacCannell, 1973), sociology (Cohen, 1972), geography (Duffus & Dearden, 1990), and ecology (Newsome, Moore & Dowling, 2012), which have offered critical insights into questions of local sustainability (Espiner, Orchiston & Higham, 2017). More recently the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have drawn attention to the broader challenges embodied in tourism within the broader context of sustainable development

Glacier recession and the changing rockfall hazard: Implications for glacier tourism

© 2015 New Zealand Geographical Society.Rapid recession and thinning of mountain glaciers worldwide are resulting in changes to glacier surface morphology, which are exacerbated by increased rockfall and debris accumulation at lateral margins. Rockfall can be a hazard to people visiting and working on glaciers. Relationships between rockfall and the changing glacier surface were explored at Fox Glacier, where tourism is a key industry. Using a simple rockfall model, it was found that rocks could travel a further 50m out onto the glacier in 2012 compared with 2008. An improved understanding of natural hazards is essential to the sustainability of the industry, given the importance of glacier-related tourism in the local and regional economies