Women and children last: An essay on sex discrimination in disasters

In general, little attention has been given to differential survival between the sexes in disasters. Consideration of physiological differences between males and females would suggest that, all things being equal, morbidity and mortality after disaster, particularly where food shortage is involved, should indicate an excess male mortality. Such statistics as exist in disasters, as in chronic underdevelopment, show that it is females and especially girl children who are at highest risk. The basis of this lies in sex discrimination which is implicit in most social systems.     

Mortality of pollen beetle (Meligethes spp.) larvae due to predators and parasitoids in rape fields and the effect of conservation strips

In 1996–1999, different mortality factors of pollen beetle larvae were investigated in twenty six rape fields in the northern part of Switzerland which had either a wild flower strip or an extensively managed meadow adjacent to the long side of the field. At 3 and 30 m into the crop from the conservation strip, total mortality, mortality from predators, parasitoids and unspecified factors were measured. Total pollen beetle larval mortality was 66–96%. Mortality caused by predators was 16–27% and there was no significant difference between mortality at 3 m and that 30 m from the extensively managed meadows. However, in fields with wild flower strips adjacent to them, the percentage mortality from predators was significantly greater at 30 m than at 3 m. The range of parasitism of pollen beetle larvae was 0–54% and was on average greater at 3 m than at 30 m. In fields with wild flower strips, the percentage parasitism with Tersilochus heterocerus was significantly higher than in fields with extensively managed meadows. However, mortality from all parasitoids was only 1–2% and there was no significant difference between 3 and 30 m. The effect of parasitoids on pollen beetle mortality was masked by the high unspecified mortality and the mortality from predators. The unspecified mortality was 46–72% and was significantly greater in 1998 and 1999 than in 1996 and 1997. These differences are probably because of meteorological factors (wet in 1999 and dry in 1998). The possible influences of the two types of conservation strips on pollen beetle larval density were investigated. The results show that in fields with adjacent wild flower strips, the pollen beetle larvae were more evenly distributed (but not significantly so) than in fields with extensively managed meadows where larval density decreases faster from the edge into the rape field.     

An analysis of the causes and circumstances of flood disaster deaths

The objective of this paper is to investigate and to improve understanding of the causes and circumstances of flood disaster deaths. A standardised method of classifying flood deaths is proposed and the difficulties associated with comparing and assessing existing information on flood deaths are discussed. Thirteen flood cases from Europe and the United States, resulting in 247 flood disaster fatalities, were analysed and taken as indicative of flood disaster deaths. Approximately two-thirds of the deaths occurred through drowning. Thus, a substantial number of flood disaster fatalities are not related to drowning. Furthermore, males are highly vulnerable to dying in floods and unnecessary risk-taking behaviour contributes significantly to flood disaster deaths. Based on these results, recommendations are made to prevent loss of life in floods. To provide a more solid basis for the formulation of prevention strategies, better systematic recording of flood fatalities is suggested, especially those caused by different types of floods in all countries.     

未来10年保定市大气PM2.5的健康效益预测

分别设定保定市2020年、2025年及2030年PM_2.5浓度的不同目标情景,并考虑人口发展趋势,采用IER模型对各区县低、中、高目标情景下归因于PM_2.5污染的过早死亡人数进行评估.结果表明,以2017年大气PM_2.5浓度为基线,按照高中低3种预测情景,在2020年、2025年和2030年分别能避免的过早死亡人数高达1582~3840人、5244~7902人和12602~23558人,主要分布在市中心（莲池区、竞秀区和清苑区）及其东南区域.随着老龄化问题越来越严重,环境质量改善获得的健康收益愈加突出,心血管系统疾病（中风和缺血性心脏病）的归因死亡人数多于呼吸系统疾病（肺癌、慢阻肺疾病以及急性下呼吸道感染）.当PM_2.5浓度高于20μg/m³时,中风的归因死亡人数最高;当PM_2.5浓度小于10μg/m³时,缺血性心脏病的归因死亡人数最高.建议保定市在制定PM_2.5污染防控政策时重点关注人群密集的市区及东南方向地区,并考虑大气污染不同阶段导致的过早死亡疾病类型进行针对性的宣教和防控.     

Extra-pair paternity, offspring mortality and offspring sex ratio in the socially monogamous coal tit (Parus ater)

Females of many socially monogamous bird species commonly engage in extra-pair copulations. Assuming that extra-pair males are more attractive than the females’ social partners and that attractiveness has a heritable component, sex allocation theory predicts facultative overproduction of sons among extra-pair offspring (EPO) as sons benefit more than daughters from inheriting their father’s attractiveness traits. Here, we present a large-scale, three-year study on sex ratio variation in a passerine bird, the coal tit (Parus ater). Molecular sexing in combination with paternity analysis revealed no evidence for a male-bias in EPO sex ratios compared to their within-pair maternal half-siblings. Our main conclusion, therefore, is that facultative sex allocation to EPO is absent in the coal tit, in accordance with findings in several other species. Either there is no net selection for a deviation from random sex ratio variation (e.g. because extra-pair mating may serve goals different from striving for ‘attractiveness genes’) or evolutionary constraints preclude the evolution of precise maternal sex ratio adjustment. It is interesting to note that, however, we found broods without EPO as well as broods without mortality to be relatively female-biased compared to broods with EPO and mortality, respectively. We were unable to identify any environmental or parental variable to co-vary with brood sex ratios. There was no significant repeatability of sex ratios in consecutive broods of individual females that would hint at some idiosyncratic maternal sex ratio adjustment. Further research is needed to resolve the biological significance of the correlation between brood sex ratios and extra-pair paternity and mortality incidence, respectively.     

A general model for tagging on multiple component fisheries: an integration of age-dependent reporting rates and mortality estimation

A major objective of analyzing multiple year tag return data in fisheries is to estimate fishing and natural mortality rates which may vary by age class and calendar year. To do this one needs to be able to estimate the reporting rates for the tags recovered. Some fisheries such as that for Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) have multiple components with potentially different reporting rates for the tag returns. In this paper we develop a general model for multi-cohort, multi-year tag return analyses where there are multiple components to the fishery with potentially different reporting rates. We require the assumption that one component has a reporting rate of 100% (i.e., this could be the component of a boat based fishery where scientific observers are present). We show further how it is possible to partition the overall likelihood developed into two conditionally independent components. The first component of the likelihood is the standard multinomial likelihood that allows estimation of fishing and natural mortality rates. It uses the tag return matrix summed over all the components of the fishery. It requires an average reporting rate for the tag returns (where the average reporting rate is a weighted average of the individual reporting rates of the different components). The second component is also multinomial for the individual component tag returns and allows us to estimate individual component reporting rates. However, this requires that we augment our second component tag return likelihood with a catch data likelihood for the corresponding components. The methodology is illustrated on some Southern Bluefin Tuna tagging and catch data. We also discuss important model assumptions and give suggestions for future research including the integration of tag-return and catch at age data analyses.     

亚硒酸钠对蚯蚓的毒性及蚓体富硒作用的研究

以100mgkg^-1,200mgkg^-1,300mg kg^-1等不同质量分数（w)的亚硒酸钠（NaSeO2)添加到蚯吲饵料中,研究了亚硒酸钠处理对蚯蚓生长发育及死亡的影响和蚯蚓的富硒作用,结果表明,3个w(NaSeO2)处理对蚯蚓生长发育和富硒量的影响都达到极显著水平,w(NaSeO2)越高,用其处理饲养的蚯蚓死亡率也较高,富硒量也较大,二者存在一定的正相关性,在200mg kg^-1的w(NaSeO2)处理下,当蚯蚓饲养到84d时,蚯蚓的富硒量可达到332．5mg kg^-1,同时死亡率高达90％。     

Relation Between Individual Tree Mortality and Tree Characteristics in a Polluted and Non-Polluted Environmentx

Data on individual tree mortality in relatively healthy (Berezinskiy biosphere reserve) and damaged (surroundings of the mineral fertilizer plant ‘Achema’) even-aged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands are presented. Tree size and competition intensity were found to be the most significant predictors of individual tree mortality in all age groups of the relatively healthy Scots pine stands, however, an essential reduction in the closeness of relations between the tree mortality rate and these variables was determined with the aging of stands. An exponential decrease in tree mortality probability with an increase of tree size is characteristic for trees suffering different competition intensity, however, this decrease becomes much more pronounced as the competition pressure increases. The relations of different tree and stand variables with tree mortality probability have been found to become much weaker in the polluted environment. An exponential increase in tree mortality probability with an increase of crown defoliation was characteristic of damaged Scots pine stands, however, the rate of the increase was different in different age and diameter classes. The impact of crown defoliation on tree mortality rate increased with the aging of stands. At the same defoliation level, individual tree mortality probability was much higher for smaller suppressed trees, however, a relative increase in tree mortality probability along with an increase of crown defoliation was more pronounced for dominant trees. Conclusion: a higher mortality of damaged (defoliated) trees should be considered while assessing losses in forest productivity in a polluted environment.     

Potentially preventable prehospital deaths from motor vehicle collisions

Background: In 2011, about 30,000 people died in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) in the United States. We sought to evaluate the causes of prehospital deaths related to MVCs and to assess whether these deaths were potentially preventable.

Methods: Miami–Dade Medical Examiner records for 2011 were reviewed for all prehospital deaths of occupants of 4-wheeled motor vehicle collisions. Injuries were categorized by affected organ and anatomic location of the body. Cases were reviewed by a panel of 2 trauma surgeons to determine cause of death and whether the death was potentially preventable. Time to death and hospital arrival times were determined using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data from 2002 to 2012, which allowed comparison of our local data to national prevalence estimates.

Results: Local data revealed that 39% of the 98 deaths reviewed were potentially preventable (PPD). Significantly more patients with PPD had neurotrauma as a cause of death compared to those with a nonpreventable death (NPD) (44.7% vs. 25.0%, P =.049). NPDs were significantly more likely to have combined neurotrauma and hemorrhage as cause of death compared to PPDs (45.0% vs. 10.5%, P <.001). NPDs were significantly more likely to have injuries to the chest, pelvis, or spine. NPDs also had significantly more injuries to the following organ systems: lung, cardiac, and vascular chest (all P <.05). In the nationally representative FARS data from 2002 to 2012, 30% of deaths occurred on scene and another 32% occurred within 1 h of injury. When comparing the 2011 FARS data for Miami–Dade to the remainder of the United States in that year, percentage of deaths when reported on scene (25 vs. 23%, respectively) and within 1 h of injury (35 vs. 32%, respectively) were similar.

Conclusions: Nationally, FARS data demonstrated that two thirds of all MVC deaths occurred within 1 h of injury. Over a third of prehospital MVC deaths were potentially preventable in our local sample. By examining injury patterns in PPDs, targeted intervention may be initiated.     

我国臭氧短期暴露与人群死亡风险的Meta分析

为评价中国臭氧短期暴露对人群死亡率的影响,获取臭氧污染与人群死亡的暴露-反应关系.检索了Pub Med、SCI(Science Ciation Index)、Ebsco、Ovid、中国生物医学文献数据库、维普中文科技期刊全文数据库、万方数据库和中国知网等,检索时间均为1990年1月1日至2014年12月31日,以"O3or ozone"、"mortality"、"China"、"臭氧"及"死亡"为关键词查找关于臭氧短期暴露对人群死亡率影响的文献.依据文献纳入和排除标准,进行文献筛选和质量评价.纳入文献后分别提取臭氧的暴露反应关系,采用Stata12.0软件进行Meta分析,根据异质性结果选择相应的效应模型合并效应值,并对结果进行敏感性分析、发表偏倚检验与校正.结果显示,大气中臭氧浓度每增加10μg·m-3,人群非意外总死亡率、心血管系统疾病和呼吸系统疾病死亡率分别增加0.40%(95%可信限(CI):0.303%~0.498%)、0.448%(95%CI:0.171%~0.724%)和0.461%(95%CI:0.225%~0.697%).与国外其它未纳入中国研究文献的Meta分析结果进行比较发现,中国的臭氧短期暴露对死亡风险影响的暴露-反应关系系数较高.大气中臭氧浓度的上升会导致我国人群非意外总死亡率、心血管系统疾病死亡率和呼吸系统疾病死亡率的增加.