Parental response to mid-trimester therapeutic abortion following amniocentesis

This article reports the results of a retrospective study designed to examine the responses of couples to genetic amniocentesis and subsequent therapeutic abortions due to birth defects. Fourteen women and 12 men were interviewed by experienced interviewers using a structured format designed by the authors, and each interview was audiotaped for later rating. The 5 raters (all women) were instructed to independently rate each interview using forms designed by the authors to elicit information about many aspects of the participant's individual responses as well as perceptions of spouse's responses to the process of pregnancy, amniocentesis, therapeutic abortion, and sequelae. Ratings of all 5 raters were conjoined and an homogeneous narrative was constructed for each interview. Results indicate, in general, that the respondent couples coped well with this experience. In fact 70 per cent of the respondent couples described their marital relationships as becoming closer as a result of their experience. Only a few participants reported long-term deleterious effects. Most couples coped by relying on relatives, friends, and occasionally, professional counsellors. In addition, most participants in this study suggested ways to improve the medical and psychological aspects of this experience.     

Multi-stage sampling for large scale natural resources surveys: a case study of rice and waterfowl

Large-scale sample surveys to estimate abundance and distribution of organisms and their habitats are increasingly important in ecological studies. Multi-stage sampling (MSS) is especially suited to large-scale surveys because of the natural clustering of resources. To illustrate an application, we: (1) designed a stratified MSS to estimate late autumn abundance (kg/ha) of rice seeds in harvested fields as food for waterfowl wintering in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV); (2) investigated options for improving the MSS design; and (3) compared statistical and cost efficiency of MSS to simulated simple random sampling (SRS). During 2000-2002, we sampled 25-35 landowners per year, 1 or 2 fields per landowner per year, and measured seed mass in 10 soil cores collected within each field. Analysis of variance components and costs for each stage of the survey design indicated that collecting 10 soil cores per field was near the optimum of 11-15, whereas sampling >1 field per landowner provided few benefits because data from fields within landowners were highly correlated. Coefficients of variation (CV) of annual estimates of rice abundance ranged from 0.23 to 0.31 and were limited by variation among landowners and the number of landowners sampled. Design effects representing the statistical efficiency of MSS relative to SRS ranged from 3.2 to 9.0, and simulations indicated SRS would cost, on average, 1.4 times more than MSS because clustering of sample units in MSS decreased travel costs. We recommend MSS as a potential sampling strategy for large-scale natural resource surveys and specifically for future surveys of the availability of rice as food for waterfowl in the MAV and similar areas.     

Risk perception and trust in the context of urban brownfields

Data are reported from a postal questionnaire completed by 747 residents of two urban local authority areas within which there were sites of brownfield land with significant levels of contamination. Respondents rated their perceptions of the extent to which their neighbourhood and own home were relatively vulnerable to contamination, their concern about possible effects of contamination, their satisfaction with their council in terms of consultation with residents on housing and development issues, and their trust in their council with respect to contaminated land risks. Satisfaction with, and trust in, the council was generally low in both areas, and especially so among those who perceived themselves to be more vulnerable to contamination. Nonetheless, dissatisfaction was less marked in the area where the local authority, according to background information, had pursued a more open and proactive style of risk communication and consultation with residents. The main predictors of trust, across both areas, were perceptions that the council was openly prepared to tell residents what they knew, and that the council had residents’ interests at heart. Implications are discussed for the impact of different modes of risk communication on trust.     

Congenital syphilis: A contemporary update on an ancient disease

Congenital syphilis (CS) rates reached a 20-year high in the United States in 2018. Unlike previous years, most babies diagnosed with CS were born to mothers who received prenatal care, indicative of the need for better provider education and guideline adherence. Current rates suggest that screening for syphilis should be performed at the first prenatal care visit and twice during the third trimester. There are two diagnostic algorithms available for use in the United States (traditional and reverse) and providers must understand how to perform each algorithm. Treatment should be administered according to stage of syphilis per Centers for Disease Control recommendations with best neonatal outcomes seen when treatment is initiated >30 days before delivery. Benzathine Penicillin G remains the only recommended treatment of syphilis during pregnancy. In viable pregnancies, a pretreatment ultrasound is recommended to identify sonographic evidence of fetal infection and treatment should be initiated with continuous fetal monitoring to evaluate for the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction which can cause preterm labor and fetal distress. After adequate syphilotherapy, a fourfold decline in maternal nontreponemal titers may not be observed by delivery and does not correlate with rates of CS.     

Risk perception and trust in the context of urban brownfields

Data are reported from a postal questionnaire completed by 747 residents of two urban local authority areas within which there were sites of brownfield land with significant levels of contamination. Respondents rated their perceptions of the extent to which their neighbourhood and own home were relatively vulnerable to contamination, their concern about possible effects of contamination, their satisfaction with their council in terms of consultation with residents on housing and development issues, and their trust in their council with respect to contaminated land risks. Satisfaction with, and trust in, the council was generally low in both areas, and especially so among those who perceived themselves to be more vulnerable to contamination. Nonetheless, dissatisfaction was less marked in the area where the local authority, according to background information, had pursued a more open and proactive style of risk communication and consultation with residents. The main predictors of trust, across both areas, were perceptions that the council was openly prepared to tell residents what they knew, and that the council had residents' interests at heart. Implications are discussed for the impact of different modes of risk communication on trust.     

Pesticide,PCB, and lead residues and necropsy data for bald eagles from 32 states-1978–81

In 1978–81, 293 bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from 32 states were necropsied and analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and lead residues. DDE was found in all carcasses; PCB, DDD, trans-nonachlor, dieldrin and oxychlordane were next in order of percent frequency of detection. The median levels of DDE and PCB have declined when compared with previous collections. Five specimens contained high levels of dieldrin in their brains which may have contributed to their deaths. Seventeen eagles contained liver lead residues greater than 10 ppm and probably died of lead poisoning. Trauma and shooting are the most common causes of death.     

Government Sponsored Air Pollution Research Relating to Agriculture

The absorption of hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan by aqueous solutions of chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and chlorine plus sodium hydroxide was studied using a two-inch diameter absorption column packed with ¼ inch Intalox saddles. Absorption rates were noticeably affected by chemical reactions occurring in the aqueous chlorine and hydroxide media. These solutions were studied as a means of controlling sulfur-containing gas emissions from kraft paper mills. The absorption studies indicated that aqueous chlorine solutions at a pH above 12 were effective absorbents for hydrogen sulfide removal in absorption equipment designed to tolerate sulfur in suspension. The absorption of methyl mercaptan in aqueous chlorine solutions appeared to be impractical since dimethyl disulfide was apparently the only product formed and was stripped from the tower by the gas stream. Sodium hydroxide solution was an effective absorbent for both methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide when hydroxide to sulfide or mercaptan feed ratios were greater than 1 or 1.8, respectively. The mercaptan absorption coefficient was approximately twice that for sulfide absorption.     

DECLINING INTENSITY OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE IN THE NORTHERN APPALACHIAN BITUMINOUS COAL FIELDS: MAJOR ALLEGHENY RIVER TRIBUTARIES1

ABSTRACT: For more than 30 years, a program of continuous monitoring of pH, acidity, alkalinity, and other parameters has been maintained on a network of large streams degraded by acid mine drainage in the northern Appalachian high sulfur coal region. Continuous records since 1952 are available at a number of stations, and at several stations, acidity records date back to 1930. Comparable analysis techniques were maintained over the period of record, assuring the long term continuity of the database. This monitoring program has captured integrated long term trends within large and complex watersheds with numerous and varied types of mine discharges. The focus of this paper is a historical trend analysis of lightly to severely acid degraded major tributaries of the Allegheny River. Over the past three decades, all of the Allegheny River drainage basin stations have demonstrated steady and substantial declines in acidity and associated increases in pH and alkalinity. The average recorded decline in total acidity at four stations monitored since the 1950s was 94 percent. Since the 1970s, acidity declined by an average of 63 percent at 10 stations. Oxidative exhaustion of pyritic minerals exposed by mining is proposed as a major factor influencing these trends.