Civic geographies: A commentary and call for Area

This commentary introduces civic geographies as a theme in Area, where papers can be collected, allowing a space for discussion at a time when the civic university agenda has become a priority for the sector. It calls for the discipline to share and debate ideas about civic geographies, showcase civic geographical research and teaching, and create a community of practice to develop approaches to engagement and social responsibility

Sound Over Troubled Waters: Noise Pollution in Prek Toal, Cambodia

Environmental noise pollution, or excessive noise related to machinery operation and vehicular transportation, is a common problem in urban environments. Less understood is the effect that chronic environmental noise can have in rural environments, where there is greater potential for disruption of native ecosystems and the quality of life in small villages. Chronic exposure to noises above 85 decibels causes noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) in humans, which has irreversible effects. But even less understood is the effect that chronic noise can have on animals that thrive in less urbanized environments. Here, I examine the effect of noise pollution caused by motor boats in the floating village of Prek Toal, Cambodia. I identify the types of motorboats used along the Sangker river, the river that runs through the village, and experimentally measure their maximum sound intensities across a various distances from 0-100m from the motor. The effect of the noise on the boat is examined to address the occupational hazard to the driver. The observational data is also used to derive an empirical equation for sound decay that is specific to this rural environment. This equation is used to map the spatial distribution of environmental noise pollution within the village and identify zones of noise induced hearing loss along the Sangker river. A total of sixty villagers were surveyed to identify the types of motors present in Prek Toal. The two major motor companies, Yokohama and Hinota, offer motors with a wide range of horsepower. Sound intensity measurements revealed the mean range of sound that drivers are exposed to is 93 dB(A) to 112 dB(A), with the majority of motors above 100 dB(A)s. This exceeds the minimum for NIHL, demonstrating that drivers in Prek Toal are exposed to hearing-related occupational hazards while driving. The empirically derived sound decay equation reveals an exponential relationship between sound and distance in Prek Toal. This relationship matches what has been found in other studies. A spatial analysis of the observational data reveal that each boat has a minimum NIHL radius of 45 meters

A review of selected bee products as potential anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral agents

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest medical challenges the world faces. It was estimated recently that by 2050, AMR will account for 10 million extra deaths annually with additional economic costs in the region of $100 trillion. In order to combat this, novel antimicrobial agents with a broad spectrum of activity are required. Bee products, including; honey, propolis, defensins, royal jelly, bee pollen and venom have been used to treat infectious diseases for several centuries, although they were largely disregarded by Western medicine during the antibiotic era. There has since been a resurgence in interest in their antimicrobial properties, especially due to their reported activity against multi-drug resistant pathogens displaying high levels of AMR. In this paper we review the current scientific literature of honey, propolis, honey bee, defensins, royal jelly, bee pollen and bee venom. We highlight the antimicrobial activity each of these products has displayed and potential future research directions

Evaluation of the Responsiveness of Swine Divergently Selected for Feed Efficiency to an Exogenous Adrenocorticotropin Hormone (ACTH) Challenge

The relationship between stress and feed efficiency in finisher swine was investigated through an adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of the ACTH-cortisol axis and the stress response in feed efficiency using pigs divergently selected for RFI. Gilts divergently selected for residual feed intake (RFI) were used as a model for feed efficiency and were challenged with 0.2 IU/kg BW of exogenous porcine ACTH. Serial blood samples were collected and plasma cortisol concentrations were determined. These results indicate that high-RFI pigs(lower feed efficiency) are more responsive to an ACTH challenge, but cope equally as well as pigs selected for low-RFI (higher feed efficiency)

The Effect of Formation Redshifts on the Cluster Mass-Temperature Relation

I employ an ensemble of hydrodynamical simulations and the XSPEC MEKAL emission model to reproduce observable spectral and flux-weighted temperatures for 24 clusters. Each cluster is imaged at 16 points in its history, which allows the investigation of evolutionary effects on the mass-temperature relation. In the zero redshift scaling relations, I find no evidence for a relationship between cluster temperature and formation epoch for those clusters which acquired 75% of their final mass since a redshift of 0.6. This result holds for both observable and intrinsic intracluster medium temperatures, and implies that halo formation epochs are not an important variable in analysis of observable cluster temperature functions.Comment: 6 pages, 3 postscript figures, submitted to MNRAS Letter

Media justice: Madeleine McCann, intermediatization and "trial by media" in the British press

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared on 3 May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Portugal. Over five years and multiple investigations that failed to solve this abducted child case, Madeleine and her parents were subject to a process of relentless ‘intermediatization’. Across 24–7 news coverage, websites, documentaries, films, YouTube videos, books, magazines, music and artworks, Madeleine was a mediagenic image of innocence and a lucrative story. In contrast to Madeleine’s media sacralization, the representation of her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, fluctuated between periods of vociferous support and prolonged and libellous ‘trial by media’. This article analyses how the global intermediatization of the ‘Maddie Mystery’ fed into and fuelled the ‘trial by media’ of Kate and Gerry McCann in the UK press. Our theorization of ‘trial by media’ is developed and refined through considering its legal limitations in an era of ‘attack journalism’ and unprecedented official UK inquiries into press misconduct and criminality