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Background. Primary pneumonic plague is a rare but often fatal form of Yersinia pestis infection that results from direct inhalation of bacteria and is potentially transmissible from person to person. We describe a case of primary pneumonic plague in a wildlife biologist who was found deceased in his residence 1 week after conducting a necropsy on a mountain lion. Methods. To determine cause of death, a postmortem examination was conducted, and friends and colleagues were interviewed. Physical evidence was reviewed, including specimens from the mountain lion and the biologist's medical chart, camera, and computer. Human and animal tissues were submitted for testing. Persons in close contact (within 2 meters) to the biologist after he had developed symptoms were identified and offered chemoprophylaxis. Results. The biologist conducted the necropsy in his garage without the use of personal protective equipment. Three days later, he developed fever and hemoptysis and died ∼6 days after exposure. Gross examination showed consolidation and hemorrhagic fluid in the lungs; no buboes were noted. Plague was diagnosed presumptively by polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by culture. Tissues from the mountain lion tested positive for Y. pestis, and isolates from the biologist and mountain lion were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Among 49 contacts who received chemoprophylaxis, none developed symptoms consistent with plague. Conclusions. The biologist likely acquired pneumonic plague through inhalation of aerosols generated during postmortem examination of an infected mountain lion. Enhanced awareness of zoonotic diseases and appropriate use of personal protective equipment are needed for biologists and others who handle wildlife.

Health education in nontraditional settings can supplement messages received in more traditional venues, such as schools and health care facilities, and can reach new populations. In 2007, the US National Park Service awarded one-time seed grants of $10 000 or less to 16 parks in 16 states to fund the development of public health–focused programs for visitors. These programs used a wide variety of formats and addressed topics such as air pollution, prevention of vector-borne diseases, and promotion of physical activity in the parks. Almost 12 000 visitors attended the programs in 2007. Most programs were supported by park management and were well received by visitors. National parks and similar settings may be underutilized resources for delivering health messages to the general population.

Food establishments are complex systems with inputs, sub-systems, underlying forces that affect the system, outputs, and feedback. Building on past exploration of the hazard analysis critical control point concept and Ludwig von Bertalanffy's General Systems Theory, the National Park Service (NPS) is attempting to translate these ideas into a realistic field assessment of food service establishments and to use information gathered by these methods in efforts to improve food safety. Over the course of the last two years, an experimental systems-based methodology has been drafted, developed, and tested by the NPS Public Health Program. This methodology is described in this paper.

Wong and Higgins' article illustrates innovative ways nontraditional public health providers such as park rangers are connecting with consumers on health issues.1 Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental ChangE (ACHIEVE) program works with the National Recreation and Park Association and other groups to promote physical activity and reduce chronic disease risks.2 Such collaborations are long overdue, given that the Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization, and other prestigious bodies have underscored the importance of transdisciplinary approaches to achieving public health goals.3-5 An important distinction must be made, however, between these park rangers' efforts and the formal approaches of health education as a core public health discipline. In achieving our goals, we: (1) collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data; (2) use scientific, multidisciplinary theories to plan interventions; (3) translate scientific research into practical, applied programming; (4) plan and conduct mass media and health communications campaigns to change knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and norms of select populations; (5) implement programs; (6) provide training to individuals, lay health advisors, but also to other professionals, and policymakers; and (7) evaluate health promotion programs for continuous program improvement. Failure to distinguish between information dissemination and health education and to recognize the overarching ecological models guiding our practice contributes to limited views of health education as \"ancillary rather than integral, superfluous rather than essential\" in public health planning and interventions. 9,10(p1824-1825) Health educators must strengthen intersectoral partnerships with park rangers, urban planners, economists, environmentalists, law enforcement officers, and other nontraditional public health partners. Opportunities to connect national parks and other outdoor spaces with health are legion.\\n In September 2010, the director of the NPS commissioned an executive steering committee to explore and define the unique role that the NPS can play in promoting the health of our nation and of all species.8 Formal collaboration between park rangers and health educators is encouraged.

For B.C.: Big-Spending B.C. Plunges $890-Million Further In Red; Business Leaders Blast Debt Increase; Deficit 'Road To Ruin': Critics.

Birnessite is a low-cost and environmentally friendly layered material for aqueous electrochemical energy storage; however, its storage capacity is poor due to its narrow potential window in aqueous electrolyte and low redox activity. Herein we report a sodium rich disordered birnessite (Na 0.27 MnO 2 ) for aqueous sodium-ion electrochemical storage with a much-enhanced capacity and cycling life (83 mAh g −1 after 5000 cycles in full-cell). Neutron total scattering and in situ X-ray diffraction measurements show that both structural water and the Na-rich disordered structure contribute to the improved electrochemical performance of current cathode material. Particularly, the co-deintercalation of the hydrated water and sodium-ion during the high potential charging process results in the shrinkage of interlayer distance and thus stabilizes the layered structure. Our results provide a genuine insight into how structural disordering and structural water improve sodium-ion storage in a layered electrode and open up an exciting direction for improving aqueous batteries. The authors report a sodium rich disordered birnessite cathode material Na 0.27 MnO 2 for aqueous Na-ion storage. The impressive electrochemical performance is attributed to the co-deintercalation of structural water and Na-ion during the high potential charging process which stabilizes the layered structure.