Improved smell pleasantness after odor-taste associative learning in humans.

Whereas some aspects of olfactory hedonism in humans are present from birth, others form during development and throughout adulthood. Although it is generally agreed that such hedonic representations emerge by associative learning, it is not yet clear which learning parameters are prominent. The present study investigated the influence of number of trials on odor preference acquisition in human adults. Forty-eight subjects randomly assigned to three groups were tested in three sessions. In the first session, subjects ranked eight food odors from most pleasant to most unpleasant. The second session consisted in an associative learning, the two most neutral odors were randomly associated with a drink: one odor with water (CS-) and the other odor with a pleasant sweet solution (CS+). In the third session subjects ranked the eight food odors again. In group A, CS+ was paired three times with the US, and in group B only once; in group C, CS+ was paired only once with the US but with a total duration identical to that in group A. Results showed that CS+ was ranked as significantly more pleasant after learning in group A (p<.05), but not in groups B and C (p>.05). In conclusion, the study showed that a neutral smell can acquire positive emotional features after being paired with a pleasant taste, and that this learning depends on the number of associations between smell and taste.

Disaster management in the Caribbean.

This paper identifies the main trends in approaches to disaster management in the Caribbean at both regional and national levels over the past 20 years. It highlights the main reasons why and how the region has moved from an ad hoc response to an organised approach. Finally, it suggests way in which future regional and national disaster management could be improved.

Disaster preparedness: institutional capacity building in the Americas.

Latin American and Caribbean countries are prone to natural, technological and "complex" disasters. This vulnerability to catastrophic events led the region to undertake the long journey away from an ad hoc response towards institutional preparedness and, more recently, to disaster prevention and mitigation. This article attempts to outline the definitions and basic principles of institutional emergency preparedness, including reliance on the more effective use of existing resources, rather than establishment of special stockpiles and equipment; the critical importance of general participation and awareness; and the interrelationship of the health sector with others and the potential for leadership. How to assess the level of preparedness is discussed. Stress is placed on the fact that preparedness is traditionally confused with the existence of a written disaster plan. Preparedness should be seen as a never-ending, complex process that can only be assessed through an in-depth review of coordination, planning, training and logistic elements. There is also a fundamental distinction between preparedness, i.e., "getting ready to respond" and disaster prevention/mitigation, which aims to reduce the health impact. The latter calls for the collaboration of engineers, architects, planners and economists with the health sector. It is illustrated by the regional initiative in the Americas to reduce the physical vulnerability of hospitals to earthquakes and hurricanes. In spite of the encouraging achievements, much remains to be done. Weak areas include preparedness for technological disasters, and a true inter-country preventive approach to common disasters across borders. Electronic communications through the Internet will also help to suppress borders and boundaries, contributing to a truly collective approach to emergency preparedness and disaster relief coordination.

Post-disaster epidemiological surveillance following Hurricane Hugo in Montserrat - abstract

Hurricane Hugo struck the island of Montserrat during the night of 17th September, 1989. Sustained winds of 130 mph were experienced for 8 hours with damage to 93 per cent of buildings; 50 per cent seriously and 20 per cent destroyed. The main hospital lost its roof and most health centres were severely affected. Two thousand five hundred persons were rendered homeless, of whom 1,000 were housed in shelters. Three days after, environmental health surveillance revealed unsatisfactory conditions in shelters with inadequate water supplies and faecal disposal. Water was trucked to shelters and a pit latrine programme commenced so that by the first week of October, all shelters had acceptable faecal disposal facilities. Island-wide, symptom-based daily reports of disease surveillance was introduced 9 days after the hurricane for respiratory infections and gastroenteritis. This allowed daily monitoring of disease occurrence by locality, targeting of health education and environmental health measures, and made it easier to dispel rumors which occurred after the hurricane. There was an increase in gastroenteritis 10 - 14 days after, but this subsided as potable water supplies were established. One month after, 30 cases of fever of unknown origin were detected. At first suspected to be dengue fever, it turned out to be influenza A (hl, N1) (AU)