Changes in HIV/AIDS/STI knowledge, attitudes and practices among commercial sex workers and military forces in Port Loko, Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone suffered from 11 years of civil war (1991-2002) resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and mutilations together with massive population displacement. In 2001, ARC International, Sierra Leone conducted a baseline survey of 201 commercial sex workers (CSWs) and 202 military respondents on the knowledge, attitudes and practices surrounding HIV/AIDS and STIs in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. In 2003, a comparable post-intervention survey of 202 CSWs and 205 military respondents was performed. Comparison of baseline and post-intervention results showed that HIV/AIDS knowledge increased among both groups, with those able to name three effective means of avoiding AIDS increasing from 5 per cent to 70 per cent among CSWs, and 11 to 75 per cent among the military. Reported condom use during last sex increased among CSWs from 38 to 68 per cent and among military from 39 to 68 per cent. These results demonstrate that, despite the challenges inherent in a post-conflict country, good-quality AIDS-prevention programmes can be effective.     

Biodegradability of a Selected Range of Polymers and Polymer Blends and Standard Methods for Assessment of Biodegradation

Synthetic polymers are important to the packaging industry but their use raises aesthetic and environmental concerns, particularly with regard to solid waste accumulation problems and the threat to wildlife. Some concerns are addressed by attention to problems associated with source reduction, incineration, recycling and landfill. Others are addressed by the development of new biodegradable polymers either alone or in blends. Materials used for biodegradable polymers include various forms of starch and products derived from it, biopolyesters and some synthetic polymers. Starch is rapidly metabolised and is an excellent base material for polymer blends or for infill of more environmentally inert polymers where it is metabolised to leave less residual polymer on biodegradation. This should help to improve the environmental impact of waste disposal. A number of standard methods have been developed to estimate the extent of biodegradability of polymers under various conditions and with a variety of organisms. They tend to be used mainly in the countries where they were developed but there is much overlap between the standards of different countries and wide scope for development of consistent and international standards.     

Environmental and economic benefit of recycling model of packaging waste:a case study on aluminum

In order to achieve sustainable utilization of natural resources, save energy and protect environment and ecosystem, it is important for a region or a nation to develop and implement a viable waste recycling model from both theoretical and practical point of view. Some packaging recycling models operated in developed countries are introduced in this article. Aluminium can recovery and recycling is emphasized. Cost effective, economic and environmental benefit of different models are compared and analyzed. The result shows that all recycling models have their characteristics due to the initial purpose of recovery and the situation of the implementing country. However, all the models contribute to the reduction of municipal solid waste disposal and resources conservation.     

国外包装业发展循环经济的做法

我国已成为仅次于美国、日本之后的第三大“包装大国”。详细介绍了发达国家包装产业发展循环经济的主要做法,为我国加快包装产业循环经济的发展,实现包装工业的可持续发展提供参考。     

韩国包装废物管理制度

介绍了韩国固体废物的管理中针对包装废物的管理体制和制度。韩国固体废物的主要监管执行部门是环境资源公社。韩国固体废物管理制度按照循环经济3R原则,制订了生产者责任延伸制度、废物付费制度、押金返还制度、分类排放标识制度及事业场废物减量化制度,在控制韩国包装废物产量和提高回收中起到了很好的作用。     

Assessing possible exposures of ground troops to agent orange during the vietnam War: The use of contemporary military records

BACKGROUND: Potential exposure of ground troops in Vietnam to Agent Orange and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) remains controversial despite the passage of 30 years since the Vietnam War. Because of uncertainty over the serum dioxin levels in ground troops at the end of their service in Vietnam, attempts have been made to develop a methodology for characterizing exposure of ground troops in Vietnam to Agent Orange and other herbicides based upon historical reconstruction from military records. Historical information is often useful in evaluating and modeling exposure, but such information should be reasonably accurate, complete, and reliable. METHODS: This paper reviews the procedures and supporting historical information related to the spraying of herbicides in Vietnam. The historical information is classified into two categories: procedural information and operational information. Procedural information covered the process and procedures followed in spraying herbicides from US Air Force fixed wing aircraft (Operation RANCH HAND) in Vietnam, and included approval procedures for spray missions, the criteria required to conduct a mission, the control exercised by the Forward Air Controller and the Tactical Air Control Center and the characteristics of the equipment used to apply the herbicides. Operational information includes data from the RANCH HAND Daily Air Activities Reports, which included geographic locations of specific spray missions, the amount of herbicide sprayed by a specific mission, reports of battle damage to spray aircraft, reports of fighter aircraft support for aerial spray missions, and any comments, such as reasons for canceling a mission. RESULTS: Historical information demonstrates that herbicide spray missions were carefully planned and that spraying only occurred when friendly forces were not located in the target area. RANCH HAND spray missions were either not approved or cancelled if approved when there were friendly forces in the area designated for spraying. Stringent criteria had to be met before spray missions could be approved. The operational information shows that spray missions for both defoliation and crop destruction were conducted in an extremely hostile environment. Heavy 'fighter suppression' with antipersonnel ordnance was used to minimize the impact of hostile ground fire on RANCH HAND aircraft. Procedures were in place that prohibited movement of troops into sprayed areas immediately after a mission due to the possible presence of unexploded ordnance delivered by fighter aircraft supporting RANCH HAND missions. The optimal nature of the spray equipment and application procedures minimized the possibility of significant spray drift. Conclusions. Few friendly troops were sprayed by fixed wing aircraft during Operation RANCH HAND, which delivered 95% of all defoliants used in Vietnam. Similarly, few troops were sprayed during helicopter or surface-based spray operations, which constituted the remaining 5% of defoliants. Detailed policies and procedures for approval and execution of spray missions ensured that friendly forces were not located in the areas targeted for spraying. Fighter aircraft assigned to accompany each spray mission frequently suppressed much of the hostile fire with bombs and other ordnance. Confirmed clearance of the target area was necessary to avoid friendly casualties. Historical records establish that these policies and procedures were strictly followed. Exposure of troops whether from direct spraying or movement through areas recently sprayed was very unlikely. The wartime military records of troop positions and herbicide operations are valuable for some purposes, but have specific limitations in exposure reconstruction. The completeness and accuracy of the geographic data (maps used by RANCH HAND and military ground units) were dependent upon the inherent precision of the map, the accuracy with which it depicted surface features, and the completeness and accuracy of the information on which it is based. Navigation by the crew using visual orientation and reference to the map was the only means that aircrew on spray missions had for establishing their locations. A Forward Air Controller independent of Operation RANCH HAND was present at the location of each spray target immediately before and during spraying operations to verify the target location and ensure that friendly forces were clear of the target area. Anecdotal reports of direct spraying of troops in Vietnam likely reflect the RANCH HAND missions spraying insecticide for mosquito control at regular intervals from March 1967 through February 1972. Outlook. The distribution and levels of serum dioxin in RANCH HAND veterans and the US Army Chemical Corps Vietnam veterans (the unit responsible for helicopter and ground-based spray operations) are distinguishable from typical levels in the population decades after the Vietnam conflict. An exposure model similar to that proposed in the 2003 report of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on 'Characterizing Exposure of Veterans to Agent Orange and Other Herbicides Used in Vietnam' was tested in 1988 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found to be a poor predictor of absorbed dose of TCDD. Military records during the Vietnam War lack the precision to determine that troops were directly sprayed with herbicides during Operation RANCH HAND, especially given the procedures in place to ensure clearance of friendly forces from the target area and the lack of elevated serum levels of TCDD in ground troops judged to have operated in heavily sprayed areas.     

Military Intervention and Humanitarian Action: Trends and Issues

An important trend in military doctrine for so-called 'peace support operations' has been to place them on a spectrum that includes coercion and enforcement. This paper focuses on British writers of doctrine as those responsible for driving the debate forward and forging a consensus among leading military powers. Their discourse is combat oriented, a fact reinforced by a trend towards strategic subcontracting to coalitions of the militarily willing and able. At the same time, there has been a move to institutionalise the involvement of military forces in relief, peace building and development activities. The overall emphasis is on stability and security to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian relief and to establish the conditions for peace-building processes. In the case of Bosnia, this involves conditionality and economic leverage. Although there is a long-established record of peace-keeping forces engaging in goodwill activities (with mixed results), the current trends contain contradictions that seem likely to contribute to the widely perceived erosion of classical humanitarian principles.     

卷烟包装材料及滤嘴的生物降解性能研究

本研究以目前几种常见的卷烟包装用商标纸、卡纸、铝箔内衬纸、透明塑料薄膜以及卷烟滤嘴为实验材料，采用ATSMD-5338标准方法，进行了为期25天实验。结果表明商标纸、铝箔纸内衬纸和卡纸的生物降解性能比较好，而滤嘴和透明塑料薄膜的生物降解性能比较差。今后研究开发可降解卷烟包装材料应该把重点放在滤嘴和透明塑料薄膜上面。     

非战争状态下空军军事活动与环境保护

分析了非战争状态下空军军事活动对环境的影响,在此基础上对如何开展非战争状态下我国国防的环境保护工作,提出了一些对策与建议.     

后勤车辆装备封存管理与实施研究

装备封存具有显著的军事经济效益,是装备管理的重要内容。根据我军后勤装备建设的特点和新时期军事斗争准备要求,对装备封存管理理论与技术方法进行了探讨。针对封存标准化、规范化管理中的不足,提出了4条封存原则。研究了封存准备、封存实施和封存检查等内容。