Prenatal diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency by amniotic fluid steroid analysis

The concentration of 17OH-progesterone was measured in second trimester amniotic fluid samples from 12 mothers who previously had had an infant with congenital adrenal hyper-plasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency. In 4 affected pregnancies, the concentrations were more than 2 S.D. higher than those determined in 44 samples from normal pregnancies (mean ± S.D., 8·1 ± 2·4 nmol/1). The remaining 8 pregnancies were predicted to be unaffected based on the results of amniotic fluid concentrations within the normal range. In each instance, the infant was normal. The results indicate that measurement of amniotic fluid 17OH-progester-one concentrations during the second trimester is an accurate prenatal test for 21-hydroxylase deficiency. The results should be supplemented with determination of fetal sex by karyotype analysis on the amniotic fluid cells.     

A spatial approach to combatting wildlife crime

Poaching can have devastating impacts on animal and plant numbers, and in many countries has reached crisis levels, with illegal hunters employing increasingly sophisticated techniques. We used data from an 8‐year study in Savé Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe, to show how geographic profiling—a mathematical technique originally developed in criminology and recently applied to animal foraging and epidemiology—can be adapted for use in investigations of wildlife crime. The data set contained information on over 10,000 incidents of illegal hunting and the deaths of 6,454 wild animals. We used a subset of data for which the illegal hunters’ identities were known. Our model identified the illegal hunters’ home villages based on the spatial locations of the hunting incidences (e.g., snares). Identification of the villages was improved by manipulating the probability surface inside the conservancy to reflect the fact that although the illegal hunters mostly live outside the conservancy, the majority of hunting occurs inside the conservancy (in criminology terms, commuter crime). These results combined with rigorous simulations showed for the first time how geographic profiling can be combined with GIS data and applied to situations with more complex spatial patterns, for example, where landscape heterogeneity means some parts of the study area are less likely to be used (e.g., aquatic areas for terrestrial animals) or where landscape permeability differs (e.g., forest bats tend not to fly over open areas). More broadly, these results show how geographic profiling can be used to target antipoaching interventions more effectively and more efficiently and to develop management strategies and conservation plans in a range of conservation scenarios.     

Effects of Dram Shop,Responsible Beverage Service Training,and State Alcohol Control Laws on Underage Drinking Driver Fatal Crash Ratios

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine whether three minimum legal drinking age 21 (MLDA-21) laws—dram shop liability, responsible beverage service (RBS) training, and state control of alcohol sales—have had an impact on underage drinking and driving fatal crashes using annual state-level data, and compared states with strong laws to those with weak laws to examine their effect on beer consumption and fatal crash ratios.

Methods: Using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, we calculated the ratio of drinking to nondrinking drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes as our key outcome measure. We used structural equation modeling to evaluate the three MLDA-21 laws. We controlled for covariates known to impact fatal crashes including: 17 additional MLDA-21 laws; administrative license revocation; blood alcohol concentration limits of.08 and.10 for driving; seat belt laws; sobriety checkpoint frequency; unemployment rates; and vehicle miles traveled. Outcome variables, in addition to the fatal crash ratios of drinking to nondrinking drivers under age 21 included state per capita beer consumption.

Results: Dram shop liability laws were associated with a 2.4% total effect decrease (direct effects: β =.019, p =.018). Similarly, RBS training laws were associated with a 3.6% total effect decrease (direct effect: β =.048, p =.001) in the ratio of drinking to nondrinking drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes. There was a significant relationship between dram shop liability law strength and per capita beer consumption, F (4, 1528) = 24.32, p <.001, partial η² =.016, showing states with strong dram shop liability laws (Mean (M) = 1.276) averaging significantly lower per capita beer consumption than states with weak laws (M = 1.340).

Conclusions: Dram shop liability laws and RBS laws were both associated with significantly reduced per capita beer consumption and fatal crash ratios. In practical terms, this means that dram shop liability laws are currently associated with saving an estimated 64 lives in the 45 jurisdictions that currently have the law. If the remaining 6 states adopted the dram shop law, an additional 9 lives could potentially be saved annually. Similarly, RBS training laws are associated with saving an estimated 83 lives in the 37 jurisdictions that currently have the laws. If the remaining 14 states adopted these RBS training laws, we estimate that an additional 28 lives could potentially be saved.     

Regional environmental assessment (REA) and local Agenda 21 implementation

The implementation of sustainable development requires several support instruments. One of the major instruments in the Rio Declaration to support this process has been environmental assessment that has been given considerable emphasis as to its potential ability to help achieve more sustainable forms of development. Regional environmental assessment (REA) has shown to be effective in supporting local sustainable development process. Selected environmental assessment methods have been␣used to improve the REA exercise and provide reliable data for decision-making not only to correct environmental problems due to past unsustainable social-economic developments but also help local governments to implement Agenda 21 (AG21) plans and projects.     

中国安全防灾文化建设初探

安全文化是随着社会的繁荣、城乡的发展及科技进步，从工业文明、社会文化衍生而来。本文从国内外事故灾害频发的特点出发，探讨国内提出安全防灾文化建设的概念，并着重分析了拓展安全防灾文化建设的大思路。     

中国城市综合减灾体系建设及其系统思考

从中国城市减灾现状分析入手,重点剖析城市减灾的可持续发展问题,并探讨了城市社会经济可持续发展中如何确立防灾减灾的地位．进而用系统科学思路研究城市综合减灾的体系建设问题,从一定意义上较为科学地解决了跨世纪的中国城市可持续发展的关键问题．     

黑龙江省可持续发展与21世纪减轻地质灾害策略分析

黑龙江省地质、地貌、气候、水文条件复杂,是地质灾害的多发区;且随着经济的发展,人类经济工程活动诱发的地质灾害也在逐年增加.本文分析了黑龙江省地质灾害的类型、成因、分布及危害;论述了地质灾害与可持续发展的辩证关系;并为促进本省可持续发展提出了切合实际的减灾对策.