Is the United States country zero for the First-World AIDS epidemic?

The incidence for AIDS per hundred thousand is several times higher in the United States than in the rest of the First World. Earlier work by Thompson (1984, 1989a, b, 1990, 1998) indicated that a relatively small proportion of gay males frequenting the bathhouses in the United States, drove AIDS over the epidemiological threshold in the U.S. It is shown that the rate of growth of AIDS is essentially the same for the United States and other First-World countries. An argument is advanced, based on WHO AIDS data, to the effect that it is contact with the pool of infectives in the United States that drives the epidemic in other First-World Countries.     

Is tuberculosis taken seriously in the United Kingdom?

Tuberculosis has been the subject of much concern in recent years. Notifications have increased, inadequacies in surveillance revealed, and policies for BCG immunisation and screening of immigrants questioned. Until recently the disease was given low priority in the United Kingdom. There is no overall strategic framework for tackling tuberculosis, and fears have been expressed about the future of local tuberculosis control programmes in the new market economy of the NHS. An action plan for tuberculosis within the context of a national programme is urgently required. Only then will a major impact on the incidence of the disease be seen.     

Electron microscopy in the United Kingdom—The AEI contribution

The history of the AEI (formerly Metrovick) electron microscopes is traced from the very first model in 1935 until the company ceased production of the instrument some 10 years ago. The new concepts incorporated in successive designs are outlined, so as to set them in the context of developments elsewhere.     

Practitioner attitudes in the United States and United Kingdom toward decisions at the end of life: are medical ethicists out of touch?

Objective To assess whether UK and US health care professionals share the views of medical ethicists about medical futility, withdrawing or withholding treatment, ordinary or extraordinary interventions, and the doctrine of double effect. Design, subjects, and setting Answers to a 138-item attitudinal questionnaire completed by 469 UK nurses studying the Open University course on “Death and Dying” were compared with those of a similar questionnaire administered to 759 US nurses and 687 US physicians taking the Hastings Center course on “Decisions Near the End of Life.” Results Practitioners accept the relevance of concepts widely disparaged by bioethicists: double effect, medical futility, and the distinctions between heroic and ordinary interventions and withholding and withdrawing treatment. Within the UK nurses'' group, the responses of a “rationalist” axis of respondents who describe themselves as having “no religion” are closer to the bioethics consensus on withholding and withdrawing treatment. Conclusions Professionals'' beliefs differ substantially from the recommendations of their professional bodies and from majority opinion in bioethics. Bioethicists should be cautious about assuming that their opinions will be readily accepted by practitioners.     

Use of wood energy in the United States — An opportunity

The use of wood for energy — including the burning of solid wood and black liquor from pulping — has been growing at a rate significantly greater than that for all other uses such as lumber, pulp, or particleboard. In the United States, the end of most wood is not lumber or pulp and paper but feed for energy. In 1983, 155·5 M Mg of wood were used for energy. This could threaten to increase the price of wood for those other uses, or it can stimulate us to seek more creative ways of using untapped wood resources for fuel.On the basis of estimates of heavy wood energy use relative to other uses for wood, and estimates of continuing high costs for fossil fuels, we suggest here the feasibility of meeting the demand for fuelwood through small-scale cooperatives. Such an approach can improve forestry practices and can avoid unduly increasing the cost of wood for other end uses.     

Did births decline in the United States after the enactment of no-fault divorce law?

Previous research has demonstrated that U.S. no-fault divorce laws implemented between 1953 and 1987 resulted in more divorces in some states than would have occurred otherwise. In other states, divorce patterns appeared to follow prevailing trends even after implementation of no-fault divorce legislation. A more distal question is whether implementation of no-fault divorce laws had an effect on birth rates. We analyzed state-level birth data from all 50 states to assess the birth response to the enactment of no-fault divorce law in each state. Results suggested that birth rates decreased significantly two to four years following the enactment of no-fault divorce law for the group of 34 states whose divorce rates responded to no-fault divorce legislation. As predicted, among the 16 states whose divorce rates did not respond to no-fault divorce legislation, the enactment of no-fault divorce law had a small and nonsignificant positive influence on birth rates. Generally, the group of 34 states had lower post no-fault birth rates than the group of 16 states.     

“Culling the Herd”: Eugenics and the Conservation Movement in the United States, 1900–1940

While from a late twentieth- and early twenty-first century perspective, the ideologies of eugenics (controlled reproduction to eliminate the genetically unfit and promote the reproduction of the genetically fit) and environmental conservation and preservation, may seem incompatible, they were promoted simultaneously by a number of figures in the progressive era in the decades between 1900 and 1950. Common to the two movements were the desire to preserve the “best” in both the germ plasm of the human population and natural environments (including not only natural resources, but also undisturbed nature preserves such as state and national parks and forests). In both cases advocates sought to use the latest advances in science to bolster and promote their plans, which in good progressive style, involved governmental planning and social control. This article explores the interaction of eugenic and conservationist ideologies in the careers of Sacramento banker and developer Charles M. Goethe and his friend and mentor, wealthy New York lawyer Madison Grant. In particular, the article suggests how metaphors of nature supported active work in both arenas.     

Seating for the chairbound disabled person — A survey of seating equipment in the United Kingdom

The chairbound, handicapped person often requires a cushion to distribute the supportive forces over the largest area possible in order to reduce the risk of the development of a pressure sore. The paraplegic, or someone with a pelvic obliquity, may require a specially contoured cushion to redistribute seating pressures. Additionally, postural support can be provided by a relatively simple harness or by lateral support pads, either fitted as extras to standard wheelchairs or included as part of some wheelchair designs. The severely handicapped person may require padded inserts in his wheelchair or an intimately moulded seat which helps to control some spasms as well as to provide a functional, comfortable posture. Each of the commonly used methods of solving the seating problems of the chairbound person is discussed and different production processes used for the manufacture of personalized seats are presented.     

Genetic differentiation between populations of the ant Aphaenogaster ‘rudis’ in the Southeastern United States

Chromosomal and isozyme variation was examined in populations of the ant Aphaenogaster rudis. Georgian populations of this ant are referable to a lighter Coastal Plains or a darker Montane phenotype. Coastal Plains populations are fixed or nearly fixed for a null esterase allele, Es ⁰, whereas high activity allele frequencies characterise Montane populations. High Mdh-a ¹ frequencies (>0.5) are typical of Coastal Plains populations, but in Montane populations this allele is rarer (<0.3) or absent. Study of a narrow (approximately one kilometer wide) contact zone (Turner's Corner) between these two forms showed that Coastal Plains ants have n=20 as against n=22 for Montane ants there, that there was no chromosomal evidence of hybridization, but that the presence of low frequencies of the alternate Es alleles in both forms indicates that there is some introgression. The Montane phenotype is itself heterogeneous at Black Rock Mountain, where a further, 18-chromosome, cytotype shows marked microhabitat segregation from the sympatric 22-chromosome form and differs from it in allele frequencies at all four loci examined (Mdh-a, Mdh-b, Es, Amy). Average relative genetic distances (Nei's D_m) between populations within all forms are low (maximum of 0.03±0.01) compared with interform distances (minimum of 0.19±0.03), which are similar to distances between the rudis forms and both of fulva and treatae. Aphaenogaster fulva has a very similar karyotype to that of 18-chromosome rudis, in which some specimens show weak development of the taxonomic characters distinguishing fulva from rudis. However, fulva and 18-chromosome rudis differ markedly allozymically, especially in that Amy ⁵ and Amy ⁶ are the only amylase alleles in fulva and Amy ⁴ is the only amylase allele in 18-chromosome rudis. An Alachua County, Florida rudis-group population has a 22-chromosome karyotype different to that of Georgian rudis, but the genetic distance values suggest it may be most similar genetically to the Montane 22-chromosome form. Low-level gene flow between fulva and rudis-group populations is suggested by similarity of fulva and two different sympatric rudis-group populations in terms of Es alleles present.The Georgian 20- and 22-chromosome rudis karyotypes may possibly be related by Robertsonian changes, but the relationship between these and the 18-chromosome forms (18-chromosome rudis, fulva, and an 18-chromosome Florida isolate), treatae (n=21), and lamellidens (n=19), are obscure. A non-Robertsonian chromosome number polymorphism was found in one Coastal Plains population.No unequivocal evidence was found for an overall departure of genotype frequencies from those expected under the Hardy-Weinberg Law.The rudis cytotypes in Georgia are sibling species whose close morphological resemblance may reflect ecological but not genetic similarity.     

United Nations system efforts to support the response to AIDS in China

In the last two years, we have seen a remarkable intensification in the response to AIDS in China. A number of organizations have joined and contributed to the efforts of the Chinese government in responding the AIDS epidemic in China. This article specifically describes the role of the United Nations in supporting and strengthening those responses. Achievements of the United Nations （UN） highlighted in the article include： strengthened leadership and political commitment to respond to AIDS; improved HIV/AIDS surveillance and information; expanded prevention efforts; improved treatment, care and support to people living with HIV and increased resources for AIDS programs. Additional roles of the United Nations system in the near future include strengthening national leadership by supporting the ‘three ones＇, i. e., one national plan on AIDS; one national coordinating authority for AIDS; and one monitoring and evaluation system for AIDS. In addition, the UN system is expected to strengthen alignment and harmonization of activities of all international organizations and improved accountability and oversight. Remaining challenges identified include increasing awareness of AIDS and reducing stigma and discrimination; reducing vulnerability and risk behaviour among specific groups; providing improved treatment, care and support for people living with HIV; promoting stronger engagement by civil society, and; addressing the gender dimensions of AIDS.     

Crop Species Diversity Changes in the United States: 1978–2012

Anecdotal accounts regarding reduced US cropping system diversity have raised concerns about negative impacts of increasingly homogeneous cropping systems. However, formal analyses to document such changes are lacking. Using US Agriculture Census data, which are collected every five years, we quantified crop species diversity from 1978 to 2012, for the contiguous US on a county level basis. We used Shannon diversity indices expressed as effective number of crop species (ENCS) to quantify crop diversity. We then evaluated changes in county-level crop diversity both nationally and for each of the eight Farm Resource Regions developed by the National Agriculture Statistics Service. During the 34 years we considered in our analyses, both national and regional ENCS changed. Nationally, crop diversity was lower in 2012 than in 1978. However, our analyses also revealed interesting trends between and within different Resource Regions. Overall, the Heartland Resource Region had the lowest crop diversity whereas the Fruitful Rim and Northern Crescent had the highest. In contrast to the other Resource Regions, the Mississippi Portal had significantly higher crop diversity in 2012 than in 1978. Also, within regions there were differences between counties in crop diversity. Spatial autocorrelation revealed clustering of low and high ENCS and this trend became stronger over time. These results show that, nationally counties have been clustering into areas of either low diversity or high diversity. Moreover, a significant trend of more counties shifting to lower rather than to higher crop diversity was detected. The clustering and shifting demonstrates a trend toward crop diversity loss and attendant homogenization of agricultural production systems, which could have far-reaching consequences for provision of ecosystem system services associated with agricultural systems as well as food system sustainability.     

The third United Nations conference on the law of the sea and non‐independent states

Abstract

The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea is addressing problems that involve all of mankind. Yet there are parts of mankind, non‐independent states and special sovereignties, that are not directly represented at the conference, even though their interests will be directly affected by the decisions taken.

There currently arc around 75 non‐independent states and special sovereignties at different stages of political development and with varying forms of association to a metropolitan power. This can create problems of conflicting jurisdiction over ocean space in two areas particularily: the South Pacific and the Caribbean.

The Conference has attempted”; to deal with the problem of the Law of the Sea and non‐independent states in three ways: by granting observer status to national liberation movements and associated states; through the Transitional Provision; and through the Definitional and Final Clauses. However, a universal formula that would guarantee to these states the resource rights recognized in the proposed Treaty has yet to emerge.