Domestic objects and the taste epiphany - A resource for consumption methodology

The presentation of an aesthetic identity involves the accomplishment of a coherent, plausible narrative which links one's choices to desired characteristics of the self. As symbolic evidence of a person's taste, material culture is a vital component of a successful narrative. Via case studies of pivotal household objects, this paper uses face-to-face interview data as a way of investigating processes of aesthetic choice. Household objects are interpreted as material elements imbricated in the presentation of a socially plausible and internally consistent aesthetic self. Narrative analysis, and the concept of the epiphany-object, are proposed as useful ways of accounting for tastes in domestic material culture. Methodological questions of truth-telling and authenticity in the face-to-face context are considered, and the sociological problem of taste is scrutinized in light of ideas about social accountability and textual identity.

Recent advances in the preparation and utilization of carbon nanotubes for hydrogen storage

Recent progress in the production, purification, and experimental and theoretical investigations of carbon nanotubes for hydrogen storage are reviewed. From the industrial point of view, the chemical vapor deposition process has shown advantages over laser ablation and electric-arc-discharge methods. The ultimate goal in nanotube synthesis should be to gain control over geometrical aspects of nanotubes, such as location and orientation, and the atomic structure of nanotubes, including helicity and diameter. There is currently no effective and simple purification procedure that fulfills all requirements for processing carbon nanotubes. Purification is still the bottleneck for technical applications, especially where large amounts of material are required. Although the alkali-metal-doped carbon nanotubes showed high H-2 Weight uptake, further investigations indicated that some of this uptake was due to water rather than hydrogen. This discovery indicates a potential source of error in evaluation of the storage capacity of doped carbon nanotubes. Nevertheless, currently available single-wall nanotubes yield a hydrogen uptake value near 4 wt% under moderate pressure and room temperature. A further 50% increase is needed to meet U.S. Department of Energy targets for commercial exploitation. Meeting this target will require combining experimental and theoretical efforts to achieve a full understanding of the adsorption process, so that the uptake can be rationally optimized to commercially attractive levels. Large-scale production and purification of carbon nanotubes and remarkable improvement of H-2 storage capacity in carbon nanotubes represent significant technological and theoretical challenges in the years to come.

Sea turtles as a non-consumptive tourism resource especially in Australia

There is substantial economic potential for exploiting wildlife resources for non-consumptive wildlife-oriented recreation (NCWOR) tourism and this type of tourism if well managed, can result in the long-term conservation of wildlife resources. This is especially important in cases where wildlife resources are declining due to habitat destruction, poaching and other human threats, as is so for sea turtles. In this paper, relevant ecotourism literature outlining the economic values of NCWOR activities is reviewed to show that a significant potential exists for developing sea turtle-based tourism. Duffus and Dearden's (1990. Biological Conservation, 53, 213-231) conceptual framework for the development of wildlife tourism and its extension and application by Higham (1998. Tourism Management, 19 (6), 521-531) is analysed to see if it might be applied to sea turtle-based ecotourism in Australia at Mon Repos Conservation Park. Threats to sea turtle populations are growing especially as a result of human activities and these underline the importance of finding an economic rationale to conserve the remaining species. Economic benefits from turtle-based tourism can provide such a rationale. However, such tourism must be managed appropriately if it is to be sustained. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has adopted management strategies at Mon Repos Conservation Park with this in mind and these strategies are outlined. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The politics of reintegrating Australian Aboriginal and American Indian indigenous knowledge into resource management: The dynamics of resource appropriation and cultural revival

As the United States and Australia struggle with contemporary crises over competing uses of rapidly depleting natural resources, there are striking parallels between American Indian and Australian Aboriginal communities demanding a place at the management table and offering culturally based understandings of and solutions for the ecosystems at risk. These efforts to integrate indigenous knowledge into mainstream natural resource management are part of larger legal and political debates over land tenure, the locus of control, indigenous self-governance, and holistic ecosystems management.