Sensing the impact of extreme heat on physical activity and sleep.

Introduction: This study assesses the person-specific impact of extreme heat on low-income households using wearable sensors. The focus is on the intensive and longitudinal assessment of physical activity and sleep with the rising person-specific ambient temperature. Methods: This study recruited 30 participants in a low-income and predominantly Black community in Houston, Texas in August and September of 2022. Each participant wore on his/her wrist an accelerometer that recorded person-specific ambient temperature, sedentary behavior, physical activity intensity (low and moderate to vigorous), and sleep efficiency 24 h over 14 days. Mixed effects models were used to analyze associations among physical activity, sleep, and person-specific ambient temperature. Results: The main findings include increased sedentary time, sleep impairment with the rise of person-level ambient temperature, and the mitigating role of AC. Conclusions: Extreme heat negatively affects physical activity and sleep. The negative consequences are especially critical for those with limited use of AC in lower-income neighborhoods of color. Staying home with a high indoor temperature during hot days can lead to various adverse health outcomes including accelerated cognitive decline, higher cancer risk, and social isolation.

Absorptive capacity facilitates adaptation to novel environmental disasters.

Absorptive capacity-the ability to learn and apply external knowledge and information to acquire material resources-is an essential but overlooked driver in community adaptation to new and unprecedented disasters. We analyzed data from a representative random sample of 603 individuals from 25 coastal communities in Louisiana affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We used simultaneous equation models to assess the relationship between absorptive capacity and resource acquisition for affected individuals after the disaster. Results show that the diversity of individuals' prior knowledge coupled with the community's external orientation and internal cohesion facilitate resource use. They go beyond simply providing resources and demonstrate individual and community features necessary for absorbing information and knowledge and help devise adaptation strategies to address the dynamics of changing economic, social, and political environment after the disaster.

Advances in Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring.

This paper reviews recent advances in non-invasive blood pressure monitoring and highlights the added value of a novel algorithm-based blood pressure sensor which uses machine-learning techniques to extract blood pressure values from the shape of the pulse waveform. We report results from preliminary studies on a range of patient populations and discuss the accuracy and limitations of this capacitive-based technology and its potential application in hospitals and communities.

Barriers and Solutions to Smart Water Grid Development.

This limited review of smart water grid (SWG) development, challenges, and solutions provides an initial assessment of early attempts at operating SWGs. Though the cost and adoption issues are critical, potential benefits of SWGs such as efficient water conservation and distribution sustain the development of SWGs around the world. The review finds that the keys to success are the new regulations concerning data access and ownership to solve problems of security and privacy; consumer literacy to accept and use SWGs; active private sector involvement to coordinate SWG development; government-funded pilot projects and trial centers; and integration with sustainable water management.

Lost ecosystem services as a measure of oil spill damages: a conceptual analysis of the importance of baselines.

The assessment and quantification of damages resulting from marine oil spills is typically coordinated by NOAA, and has historically utilized Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) to estimate damages. Resource economists and others have called for the damage assessment process to instead estimate injuries through the valuation of lost ecosystem services. Our conceptual analysis explores ecosystem service valuation from the perspective of "baselines," which are a fundamental component of both primary and compensatory restoration activities. In practice, baselines have been defined in ecological terms, with minimal consideration of the socioeconomic side of ecosystem service provision. We argue that, for the purposes of scaling compensatory restoration, it is more appropriate to characterize baselines in value terms, thereby integrating non-market valuation approaches from the onset of the damage assessment process. Benefits and challenges of this approach are discussed, along with guidelines for practitioners to identify circumstances in which socioeconomic variables are likely to be important for baseline characterization.

Depleting fish resources, declining fishing communities, and the state revitalization project in Korea.

This paper reviews recent declines in fish resources and fishing communities in Korea, evaluates major factors of declines, and examines a subsequent community-based revitalization project. Factors leading to depleting fish resources include global regulations, technological advances in fishing, national economic development policies, land reclamation projects, and pollution. The negative economic and societal impact of depleting fish resources is addressed using demographic and income levels of the communities. In response, the state initiated revitalization projects and invested in local fishing cooperatives promoting community-based management. The result has been less than effective as it led to mismanagement of investment and created an attitude of dependence on the government for financial assistance.