Differential livelihood adaptation to social-ecological change in coastal Bangladesh

Social-ecological changes, brought about by the rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and the increased occurrence of climatic stressors, have significantly affected the livelihoods of coastal communities in Asian mega-deltas. This paper explores the livelihood adaptation responses of households of different wealth classes, the heterogeneous adaptation opportunities, barriers and limits (OBLs) faced by these households and the dynamic ways in which these factors interact to enhance or impede adaptive capacities. A mixed methods approach was used to collect empirical evidence from two villages in coastal Bangladesh. Findings reveal that households’ adaptive capacities largely depend on their wealth status, which not only determine their availability of productive resources, but also empower them to navigate social-ecological change in desirable ways. Households operate within a shared response space, which is shaped by the broader socio-economic and political landscape, as well as their previous decisions that can lock them in to particular pathways. While an adaptive response may be effective for one social group, it may cause negative externalities that can undermine the adaptation options and outcomes of another group. Adaptation OBLs interact in complex ways; the extent to which these OBLs affect different households depend on the specific livelihood activities being considered and the differential values and interests they hold. To ensure more equitable and environmentally sustainable livelihoods in future, policies and programs should aim to expand households’ adaptation space by accounting for the heterogeneous needs and complex interdependencies between response processes of different groups

Carcinoembryonic Antigen-Related Cell Adhesion Molecule 1: A Link Between Insulin and Lipid Metabolism

OBJECTIVE—Liver-specific inactivation of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) by a dominant-negative transgene (l-SACC1 mice) impaired insulin clearance, caused insulin resistance, and increased hepatic lipogenesis. To discern whether this phenotype reflects a physiological function of CEACAM1 rather than the effect of the dominant-negative transgene, we characterized the metabolic phenotype of mice with null mutation of the Ceacam1 gene (Cc1−/−)

CATS II long-term anthropometric and metabolic effects of maternal sub-optimal thyroid function in offspring and mothers

Context and Objectives The Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening Study I (CATS-I) was a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of levothyroxine therapy for suboptimal gestational thyroid function (SGTF), comparing outcomes in children of treated (SGTF-T) with untreated (SGTF-U) women during pregnancy. This follow-up study, CATS-II, reports the long-term effects on anthropometric, bone, and cardiometabolic outcomes in mothers and offspring and includes a group with normal gestational thyroid function (NGTF). Design & Participants 332 mothers (197 NGTF, 56 SGTF-U, 79 SGTF-T) aged 41.2±5.3 years (mean±SD) and 326 paired children assessed 9.3±1.0 years after birth for (i) body mass index (BMI); (ii) lean, fat, and bone mass by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; (iii) blood pressure, augmentation index, and aortic pulse-wave-velocity; and (iv) thyroid function, lipids, insulin, and adiponectin. The difference between group means was compared using linear regression. Results Offspring’s measurements were similar between groups. Although maternal BMI was similar between groups at CATS-I, after 9 years (at CATS-II) SGTF-U mothers showed higher BMI (median [interquartile ratio] 28.3 [24.6-32.6] kg/m2) compared with NGTF (25.8 [22.9-30.0] kg/m2; P = 0.029), driven by fat mass increase. At CATS-II SGTF-U mothers also had higher thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) values (2.45 [1.43-3.50] mU/L) than NGTF (1.54 [1.12-2.07] mU/L; P = 0.015), since 64% had never received levothyroxine. At CATS-II, SGTF-T mothers had BMI (25.8 [23.1-29.8] kg/m2, P = 0.672) and TSH (1.68 [0.89-2.96] mU/L; P = 0.474) values similar to NGTF mothers. Conclusions Levothyroxine supplementation of women with SGTF did not affect long-term offspring anthropometric, bone, and cardiometabolic measurements. However, absence of treatment was associated with sustained long-term increase in BMI and fat mass in women with SGTF

Inter-annual changes in the biodiversity and community structure of the macrobenthos in Tees Bay and the Tees estuary UK associated with local and regional environmental events

Abundances of macrobenthic species were monitored twice yearly (March and September) at 6 locations in Tees Bay, UK, between 1973 and 1996, and once yearly at 4 stations in the outer Tees estuary and 7 stations in the inner estuary between 1980 and 1999. In the Bay, multivariate analysis revealed a serial pattern of community change over years for all areas, but with a major shift in community composition between 1986 and 1988. Inter-annual variability in community composition was significantly greater after 1987 than before 1987 in all areas. Overall, inter-annual variability was greater in areas near the estuary mouth than in areas farther away, although the direction of community change and the timing of the discontinuity were the same in all areas. The serial nature of community change with time was also weaker in the areas close to the estuary mouth. Although there was no clear pattern of change in the number of species present over the sampling period, a dramatic increase in Shannon diversity (H¹) occurred after 1987, due to an increase in evenness that resulted from the reduction of a few previously dominant species, notably the small polychaete Spiophanes bombyx. Although biodiversity measures describing the taxonomic breadth of the species assemblages also showed a marked step change in 1987, this was one of reduced diversity, with average taxonomic distinctness (Δ+) decreasing and the variation in taxonomic distinctness ( Λ+) increasing. These abrupt, detrimental changes coincided with a well-documented change in a variety of components of the North Sea ecosystem during the same period. Traditional species diversity measures, such as H¹, therefore gave a false impression of improving environmental quality over this period: given that the average taxonomic spread was reduced, certain taxa were under-represented with respect to others, and community composition as measured by a multivariate stability index (MSI) became less stable. H¹ also failed to distinguish putatively impacted areas close to the estuary mouth compared with those more distant, despite clear differences in Δ+, Λ+, and in community stability (MSI). Overall patterns of biodiversity and community composition in the Bay have thus been affected temporally by regional changes in the North Sea ecosystem, and spatially by the effects of the estuarine outflow. In the estuary itself, multivariate analysis also revealed a serial pattern of community change, with a major shift in composition in 1994 in both the outer and inner estuary which coincided with the construction of a barrage in the estuary. The numbers of both individuals and species began to increase at this time in the outer estuary. H¹ showed no obvious changes over the period, but in the outer estuary a step change in Δ+ and Λ+ occurred at the same time as that in the Bay. However, the direction of change was the reverse of that in the Bay, suggesting an improvement in environmental quality or a shift to more saline conditions