Prenatal diagnosis for women aged 37 years and over: to have or not to have

Forty percent of pregnant women aged 37 years and over do not have prenatal diagnosis despite being eligible for a free test. The present study aimed to determine how often, and which, untested women were making a choice about this, how many declined an offer and why. A questionnaire was given to untested women, aged 37 years and over, at no less than 24 weeks gestation. A total of 375 (81.5%) women declined, 72 (16%) were not offered a test and 13 presented too late antenatally. There was a three-fold increased likelihood (OR 3.10 95% CI 1.44, 6.65) of no offer for urban non-English speaking background women, compared with the reference group (metropolitan, English speaking). Unpartnered women were also significantly less likely to receive an offer (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.19, 8.46). Risk to the baby was the main reason for declining. When offered non-invasive prenatal screening, most decliners of prenatal diagnosis accepted, even those who declined because they were opposed to abortion. We estimate that overall 33% of older pregnant women were being offered and declining amniocentesis and/or chorion villus sampling (CVS). Only 6% were not offered a test, but this small proportion is over-represented by minority groups who must be given equal opportunity to make this choice. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

填埋场渗滤液腐殖酸随填埋龄的变化特性及模型研究

以福建省12个不同填埋场渗滤液作为研究对象,分析了不同填埋龄渗滤液中腐殖酸的性质随填埋龄的变化关系.结果表明,渗滤液中富里酸(FA)浓度和比例都高于胡敏酸(HA),且HA、FA和腐殖酸(HS)的浓度都随着填埋龄的增加呈先上升后下降,HA所占比例随填埋龄的增加呈先上升后下降的趋势,而FA和HS则是先上升,后呈波动变化.HA、FA的E280、E300/E400和E465/E665的分析结果表明HA较FA有更多的芳环结构,更大的分子量和较高腐殖化程度;随着填埋龄的增加,HA的腐殖化程度呈下降趋势,而FA则呈上升趋势;HA和FA的E300/E400和E465/E665随填埋龄的增加并未有明显的变化趋势.根据有机物降解动力学原理建立模型,分别对HA、FA和HS的浓度和填埋龄的变化关系进行拟合,结果表明模型的模拟值和实测值具有较好的一致性,HA、FA和HS模拟值和实测值的相关系数R2分别为0.820、0.932和0.946.表明该模型能有效模拟和预测腐殖酸随填埋龄的浓度变化关系.     

Are older workers more active copers? Longitudinal effects of age‐contingent coping on strain at work

This study addresses coping processes as explanation of age‐related differences in strain experience. Based on the life‐span theory of control, we posit that older workers employ more active problem‐focused and more active emotion‐focused coping strategies than younger workers, which should mediate age effects on strain at work. The correlation between age and passive avoidance coping, in contrast, is expected to be qualified by external resources such as job control. Hypotheses were tested in a two‐wave panel study (8 months lag) with 634 workers (age range 16–65 years). Job demands were considered as control variables. As predicted, older as compared with younger workers reported more active problem‐focused coping, which mediated age differences on strain in the longitudinal analysis. No mediation was found for active emotion‐focused coping. Moreover, age‐contingent effects of passive avoidance coping were moderated by job control. When job control was low, younger as compared with older workers reported more avoidance coping, which in turn decreased strain in the longitudinal analysis. Finally, reverse longitudinal effects of age‐contingent strain on active problem‐focused and active emotion‐focused coping provide initial evidence for age‐contingent resource spirals. Together, the results reveal specific strengths of older workers for stress management at work. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南丹矿业活动影响区人群头发中重金属含量特征

为探讨矿业活动对"有色金属之乡"南丹矿区周边常住居民健康的影响,采集矿业活动影响区车河镇、大厂镇、长老乡及对照区六寨镇中典型村庄居民发样200个,用原子荧光形态分析仪(AFS-9700)、石墨炉原子吸收分光光谱仪(AA 700)和电感耦合等离子发射光谱仪(Optima 7000)测试其重金属含量.结果表明,受影响区人群发样中As、Sb、Cd和Pb的平均含量分别为1.260、2.161、2.466和20.92μg·g-1,分别是对照区的4.0、20、2.1和1.9倍,且车河、大厂人群发样中Sb含量超出推荐正常范围;受影响区人群发样中Zn含量与居民年龄呈负相关(P0.05,n=151),Cd和Pb含量与居民年龄呈弱负相关(P0.1,n=151);通过独立样本t检验,受影响区男性居民发样中Cd含量显著高于女性(P0.05),而女性居民发样中Cu和Zn含量显著高于男性(P0.05).调查区域人群发样中As与Sb、Cd与Pb、As与Cd呈显著相关性(P0.01).可见,南丹矿业活动对周边常住人群人发重金属积累效应明显.     

Assessment of the Age Structure of Sable Samples Using Three Methods of Age Determination

The age structure of sable samples has been analyzed on the basis of parameters obtained by three methods of age determination: by annual cementum layers (Klevezal, 1988), canine root canal width (Smirnov, 1960), and the degree of development of the mastication muscles and sagittal crest on the skull (Timofeev and Nadeev, 1955). It has been found that the first two methods produce similar results (r = 0.95) that are suitable for use in the practice of monitoring and commercial game management. The third method is simpler but less accurate and can be recommended only for the preliminary assessment of age ratios in populations. The results of such assessment by the method proposed by Klevezal are sufficiently accurate for a detailed analysis of population structure and dynamics of its reproductive core, but this method is laborious and involves a complicated histological procedure. When large samples are studied for the purposes of monitoring and management planning, the method proposed by Smirnov is preferable.     

Combining remote sensing imagery and forest age inventory for biomass mapping

Aboveground biomass (AGB) of forests is an important component of the global carbon cycle. In this study, Landsat ETM(+) images and field forest inventory data were used to estimate AGB of forests in Liping County, Guizhou Province, China. Three different vegetation indices, including simple ratio (SR), reduced simple ratio (RSR), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), were calculated from atmospherically corrected ETM(+) reflectance images. A leaf area index (LAI) map was produced from the RSR map using a regression model based on measured LAI and RSR. The LAI map was then used to develop an initial AGB map, from which forest stand age was deduced. Vegetation indices, LAI, and forest stand age were together used to develop AGB estimation models for different forest types through a stepwise regression analysis. Significant predictors of AGB changed with forest types. LAI and NDVI were significant predictors of AGB for Chinese fir (R(2)=0.93). The model using LAI and stand age as predictors explained 94% of the AGB variance for coniferous forests. Stand age captured 79% of the AGB variance for broadleaved forests (R(2)=0.792). AGB of mixed forests was predicted well by LAI and SR (R(2)=0.931). Without differentiating among forest types, the model with SR and LAI as predictors was able to explain 90% of AGB variances of all forests. In Liping County, AGB shows a strong gradient that increases from northeast to southwest. About 64% of the forests have AGB in the range from 90 to 180 t ha(-1).