Age at first marriage and its relation to fertility in Bangladesh

The 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey(BDHS)data are exploited to examine the effects of socioeconomic and demographic factors on age at first marriage linkage to reproductive behavior of Bangladeshi women.The mean age at first marriage of women is found to be 15.48 years.Multivariate logistic regression technique shows that place of residence,religion,region,wealth index,education,and occupation are significantly important factors for determining age at first marriage.The relationship between marriage and fertility suggests that women who marry at a younger age produce more children than women who marry late.Findings of this study show that if the age at first marriage of adolescents is increased by 1 year,the age at first birth is postponed by 0.728 years.With the increase in age at first marriage,the fecundability of women sharply rises,whereas the proportion of temporary sterility decreases.Although there is a positive association between age at first marriage and age-specific marital fertility rates,the total parity per woman at the end of the reproductive period is expected to reduce by 0.196 for each 1-year delayed marriage.     

自然通风对学生宿舍室内苯污染影响的数值模拟

为降低健康风险,采用计算流体力学数值模拟方法,研究了4种不同通风工况对学生宿舍室内苯污染的影响,讨论了室内苯浓度、气流速度矢量与空气龄分布。结果表明：自然通风对于室内苯污染的去除效果明显,进出风口的位置与大小会影响室内气流分布,良好的气流组织更有利于室内污染物的及时排出;出风口对于室内污染物的排出影响较大,增大出风口的面积有利于苯的排出,能更加有效地降低室内苯污染;进风口对室内空气龄影响明显,增大进风口面积能有效提高室内空气的新鲜程度,有利于室内苯污染的稀释,提高学生宿舍室内空气品质。     

Productivity of mosses and organic matter accumulation in the litter of sphagnum larch forest in the permafrost zone

Productivity of the moss cover and necromass accumulation in the litter of a sphagnum larch forest have been estimated on the basis of tree age. It has been shown that the total carbon stock in the litter of a 100-year-old stand, including organic matter not destroyed by fire, exceeds the corresponding value for the tree stand itself by more than an order of magnitude. The accumulation of organic matter on the soil surface inhibits the growth of larch. In particular, this factor impairs hydrothermal conditions in the soil and causes a rise of the permafrost table; as a consequence, lower layers of the root system die off.     

Prenatal findings on ultrasound and X-ray in a case of overgrowth syndrome associated with increased nuchal translucency

A case of prenatal diagnosis of an overgrowth syndrome at 30 weeks of gestation is reported. The diagnosis was suggested on the basis of increased fetal growth from 16 weeks onwards, advanced bone age, and characteristic facial features such as hypertelorism, broad forehead and small chin. The fetus presented at 12 weeks with a markedly increased nuchal translucency thickness and generalized skin edema, but normal karyotype. Serial ultrasound scans revealed brain abnormalities including mild unilateral ventriculomegaly and a cyst in the cavum septi pellucidi. The pregnancy was terminated at the parents' request at 32 weeks of gestation and postmortem examination confirmed the prenatal findings. This case demonstrates the possibility of prenatal diagnosis of early overgrowth syndromes and highlights the dilemma arising from the prenatal diagnosis of a non-lethal condition associated with an uncertain prognosis and poorly documented in utero. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using Scalar Models for Precautionary Assessments of Threatened Species

Abstract:  Scalar population models, commonly referred to as count-based models, are based on time-series data of population sizes and may be useful for screening-level ecological risk assessments when data for more complex models are not available. Appropriate use of such models for management purposes, however, requires understanding inherent biases that may exist in these models. Through a series of simulations, which compared predictions of risk of decline of scalar and matrix-based models, we examined whether discrepancies may arise from different dynamics displayed due to age structure and generation time. We also examined scalar and matrix-based population models of 18 real populations for potential patterns of bias in population viability estimates. In the simulation study, precautionary bias (i.e., overestimating risks of decline) of scalar models increased as a function of generation time. Models of real populations showed poor fit between scalar and matrix-based models, with scalar models predicting significantly higher risks of decline on average. The strength of this bias was not correlated with generation time, suggesting that additional sources of bias may be masking this relationship. Scalar models can be useful for screening-level assessments, which should in general be precautionary, but the potential shortfalls of these models should be considered before using them as a basis for management decisions.     

我国注册安全工程师注册现状分析

根据注册安全工程师初始注册申请表以及注册安全工程师注册信息管理数据库、国家安全生产监督管理总局和人事部人事考试中心提供的数据,对目前已注册的17441名注册安全工程师的年龄结构、学历结构、安全生产相关工作年限和受聘单位性质进行了统计分析。结果表明,我国现有注册安全工程师年龄、学历结构合理,但数量上仍不能满足需要。笔者提出应通过制订考试标准等方式加快注册安全工程师专业技术人才队伍建设的建议。     

Monitoring of Orchid Populations in a Unique Area of Their Concentration in the Middle Urals

The abundance, density, structure, and dynamics of the populations of 11 rare orchid species are characterized on the basis of observations carried out in the eastern foothills of the Middle Urals from 1991 to 2002. The pattern of changes in the age structure of populations belonging to different ecobiomorphs is revealed. The concept of vegetatively oriented and generatively oriented age spectra of populations is proposed.