Bocas del Toro Research Station

Airbnb research has focused primarily on a small number of Western countries. This study examines Airbnb and its hosts in a destination in the Global South—Bocas del Toro, Panama. Through an exploration of the nexus between Airbnb hosting and lifestyle migration, the study introduces the phenomenon of ‘Airbnburbs’—new geographical spaces shaped by external property investment, situated outside major population or touristic centres, and characterized by a plethora of short-term rentals. The research entailed a descriptive case study with two parts. The first part involved analysing the growth and current footprint of Airbnb in Bocas del Toro. Next, interviews with twenty local Airbnb hosts were conducted to investigate their motivations, experiences, and perceived impacts. The findings show that Airbnb has expanded quickly throughout Bocas del Toro, particularly in areas beyond traditional tourist centres. Interviews found that younger hosts were motivated to use Airbnb primarily to minimize work hours and facilitate their desired lifestyles. Hosts also tended to concentrate in ‘Airbnburbs’, often developed by converting forested land into foreign-owned enclaves. Such neighbourhoods were largely controlled by lifestyle migrant entrepreneurs to suit their lifestyle and income demands, while generally failing to create income-generating opportunities for locals. This research suggests ways these spaces might become more inclusive and proposes new areas for future research.

Abstract Teaching is global, so the purpose of this chapter is to provide an international perspective on classroom instruction. In the first part, the authors summarize findings from two international investigations (conducted by others). The first is a video observational study involving eight nations reporting their typical teaching practices in terms of classroom management, social-emotional support, and quality of instruction. The second is a survey-based study involving 19 nations in which teachers self-reported their job satisfaction and teaching efficacy. In the second part, the authors invite educators from 19 different countries to participate in a virtual roundtable discussion to communicate what is special about teaching in their particular nation. Each educator answered this question: What can the rest of the world learn from what teachers in your nation do so well? The roundtable participants highlight their teachers’ work ethic, engagement in professional learning communities, commitment to inclusion and democratic education, and opportunities for both autonomy and collaboration.

How can ocean governance and science be made more equitable and effective? The majority of the world’s ocean-dependent people live in low to middle-income countries in the tropics (i.e., the ‘tropical majority’). Yet the ocean governance agenda is set largely on the basis of scientific knowledge, funding, and institutions from high-income nations in temperate zones. These externally driven approaches undermine the equity and effectiveness of current solutions and hinder leadership by the tropical majority, who are well positioned to activate evidence-based and context-specific solutions to ocean-sustainability challenges. Here, we draw together diverse perspectives from the tropics to propose four actions for transformational change that are grounded in perspectives, experiences, and knowledge from the tropics: 1. Center equity in ocean governance, 2. Reconnect people and the ocean, 3. Redefine ocean literacy, and 4. Decolonize ocean research. These actions are critical to ensuring a leading role for the tropical majority in maintaining thriving ocean societies and ecosystems.

Background: Poor oral health is often more prevalent in rural and resource-limited areas. Evaluating oral health status in these communities is the first step in ensuring adequate future health care for the population. The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status of children aged 6–12 years living in the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé communities. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural indigenous communities of Ngäbe-Buglé on San Cristobal Island in Bocas del Toro, Panama. All children between 6 and 12 years of age and attending local schools were invited to participate, and those whose parents provided oral consent were enrolled. Dental examinations were performed by one trained dentist. To describe oral health, plaque index, DMFT/dmft (decayed, missing, and filled for permanent and primary teeth) index, and developmental defects of enamel index were recorded. Orthodontic characteristics were also evaluated, assessing the prevalence of different molar classes and the prevalence of open bite, lateral crossbite, and scissor bite. Results: A total of 106 children, representing 37.3% of the child population in the age range attending local schools, were included in this study. The mean plaque index of the entire population was 2.8 (SD 0.8). Caries lesions were more common in children living in San Cristobal (80.0%) compared to those living in Valle Escondido (78.3%), p = 0.827. The mean DMFT/dmft for the entire population was 3.3 (SD 2.9). Developmental defects of enamel were recorded in 49 children (46.2%). The majority of the population had a class I molar relationship (80.0%). Anterior open bite, lateral crossbite, and anterior crossbite were found in 10.4%, 4.7%, and 2.8% of the participants, respectively. Conclusions: The oral health of children living in Ngäbe-Buglé communities is generally poor. Oral health education programs for children and adults might play a crucial role in improving the oral health status of the Ngäbe-Buglé population. In addition, the implementation of preventative measures, such as water fluoridation as well as regular toothbrushing with fluoridated toothpaste and more accessible dental care, will be essential in improving future generations’ oral health.

This manuscript provides the only empirically derived pre-COVID-19 global estimation of international surf travel spending and the first assessment of sustainable surf tourism attitudes, behaviors, and willingness to pay. It establishes important baselines that can serve as points of comparison as, and after, surf tourism returns, inevitably changed, post-COVID-19. Employing a direct cost method, international surf tourism expenditure was valued between $31.5 to $64.9 billion USD per year and surfers reported being willing to pay between $1.99 and $4.1 billion USD more annually for sustainable surf tourism products. These results suggest surfing tourism deserves a more significant place in funding initiatives, discussions, and research related to fostering sustainable development from ocean resources in the rapidly changing world.

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Aquatic anthropogenic noise is on the rise, with growing concern about its impact on species that are sensitive to low-frequency sounds (e.g. most fish and invertebrates). We investigated whether the reef fishHalichoeres bivittatusliving in both noisy and quiet areas had differing levels of baseline stress (measured as whole-body cortisol) and whether they would exhibit a physiological stress response when exposed to boat noise playbacks. While the playback experiments significantly increased cortisol levels in fish from our experiment compared to baseline levels, there were minimal pairwise differences across treatments and no difference in baseline stress for fish living in noisy vs. quiet areas. These results may be explained by low overall auditory sensitivity, habituation to a fairly noisy environment (due to biological sounds), or that boat noise simply may not represent an immediate threat to survival in this species. These findings contrast recent studies that have shown elevated stress responses in fishes when exposed to boat noise and highlights that inter-specific differences must be considered when evaluating potential impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine life.

Las técnicas definitivas de quimio-radioterapia para el cáncer anal, radioterapia tridimensional conformada (3DCRT) o radioterapia de intensidad modulada (IMRT) dan excelentes resultados a largo plazo. Evaluamos resultados en centros de radiación basados en la comunidad. Se evaluaron retrospectivamente 281 pacientes tratados con quimio-radioterapia definitiva para carcinoma anal loco-regional, entre 2006 y 2014. El 95% realizó quimioterapia. Se evaluaron datos de toxicidades, progresión de la enfermedad y necesidad de colostomía durante el período de seguimiento. La supervivencia global, supervivencia libre de progresión y colostomía libre se calcularon con métodos de Kaplan-Meier. La edad media fue 63.7 años con seguimiento medio de 60 meses. Ciento sesenta y nueve pacientes recibieron IMRT y 112 recibieron 3DCRT. La dosis total media tumoral fue 54 Gy. El 80% experimentó complicaciones agudas, y el 56% requirió interrupción de tratamiento. No hubo diferencias significativas en supervivencia global, supervivencia libre de progresión, supervivencia libre de colostomía ni control local a dos años entre ambos grupos. La IMRT tuvo menos suspensión del tratamiento (48% vs. 65%) (p=0.0261). El grupo IMRT tuvo una reducción significativa de todas las toxicidades agudas ≥3 y gastrointestinales (GI) tardías, en comparación con los tratados con 3DCRT. Esta serie representa una de las mayores comparaciones 3DCRT vs. IMRT para el tratamiento definitivo de cáncer anal. Los resultados a largo plazo no difieren significativamente en función de la técnica de radioterapia (RT). La IMRT reduce todas las toxicidades ≥ grado 3 y la necesidad de interrupción en comparación con 3DCRT.

Primary production due to photosynthesis results in daytime oxygen production across marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, a prevalent, globally-occurring nighttime spike in dissolved oxygen (DO) challenges our traditional assumption that oxygen production is limited to daylight hours, particularly in tropical coral reefs. When considered in the context of ecosystem oxygen budget estimates, these nocturnal spikes in DO could account for up to 24 percent of the daytime oxygen production. Here we show, 1) the widespread nature of this phenomenon, 2) the reproducibility across tropical marine ecosystems, 3) the lack of a consistent abiotic mechanism across all datasets we examined, and 4) the observation of nighttime DO spikes in vitro from incubations of coral reef benthic samples. Our study suggests that in addition to physical forcing, biological processes may be responsible for the production of oxygen at night, a finding that demands additional research.