The influence of exurban landscapes and local site characteristics on riparian vegetation

The southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced large population growth and a change in land use in the past 30 years. The majority of development has been low density, suburban land, known as exurban development. The long-term effects of exurbanization on riparian vegetative communities in the southeastern Appalachian Mountains are not well known. We sought to determine if vegetative community composition and structure change as a function of watershed–level variables such as time since neighborhood development or percent impervious surface within the watershed. We also assessed local–scale measures of disturbance such as canopy cover and basal area. Over two years we sampled a total of 27 streams in exurban watersheds ranging in age from four to forty-four years, along with eight forested streams. Watershed–scale variables such as neighborhood age and impervious surface cover did not influence the aspects of riparian vegetation community we measured. Canopy cover, a measure of local habitat disturbance, offered better predictions of vegetation community metrics. Exurban neighborhoods and their landowners may have the potential to manage for riparian vegetation through the use of maintained stream buffer zones along the entire length of the stream

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE AS AN ETHICAL PROBLEM FROM FORENSIC ASPECT

U zadnjem je desetljeću došlo do razvoja dijagnostiĉkih kriterija za poremećaje svijesti, osobito u sluĉaju vegetativnog stanja gdje je došlo do boljeg shvaćanja oštećene sposobnosti reagiranja na vanjske podraţaje. Dijagnostiĉke smjernice većinom se baziraju na promatranju samog pacijenta, dok neke druge dijagnostiĉke metode imaju manje znaĉenje. Kod pacijenata u vegetativnom stanju izmjenjuju se razdoblja budnosti i spavanja, a autonomne funkcije mozga su barem djelomiĉno održane. Nemaju kontrolu nad sfinkterima, ali postoji parcijalna održanost spinalnih refleksa. Ĉesto otvaraju oĉi, no ne mogu slijediti objekte pogledom. Prema tome, pacijenti se nalaze u stanju nepoimanja, kako vanjskog, tako ni vlastitog unutarnjeg svijeta. Multi-društvena organizacija koja se bavi pitanjem vegetativnog stanja tvrdi da oĉekivano preživljenje vegetativnih pacijenata iznosi 2 do 5 godina. Međutim, novije studije pokazuju da je preživljenje i znatno dulje zahvaljujući razvoju medicinske tehnologije i akumulaciji saznanja koja se tiĉu vegetativnog stanja te pomaţu u njegovom tretiranju. Mnoge studije pokazuju da se mišljenje lijeĉnika o pitanju prekida artificijalne nutricije i hidracije, kao o postupcima održavanja ţžvota, uvelike razlikuje, a to je uvjetovano mnogim ĉimbenicima od kojih su neki kliniĉka specijalnost pojedinaca i zemlja u kojoj se studija provodiIn the last decade the development of diagnostic criteria for disorders of consciousness, particularly the vegetative state has reflected a more advanced understanding of impaired responsiveness and awareness following brain injury. Diagnostic guidelines remain largely based on the observation of the patient’s behavior. These patients may experience sleep-wake cycles and the autonomic functions of the brain stem are partially or fully preserved. They do not have sphincter control, but there is at least a partial preservation of spinal reflexes. They often open their eyes but are unable to follow moving objects. In fact they are in a state characterized by the inability to consciously experience either the environment or their inner world. The multi-society task force that discussed the vegetative state determined that the life expectancy of patients in VS ranges from 2 to 5 years. However, more recent data show that the life expectancy is longer due to the global advancement in medical technology together with the accumulation of knowledge regarding the treatment of these patients. Surveys of physicians’ attitudes toward end-of-life decisions and publically discussed legal cases of decisions about withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration have shown considerable diversity in attitudes among different healthcare professions and countrie

Racial and ethnic disparities and implications for the prevention of HIV among persons who inject drugs

Purpose of review There are now an estimated 16 million people who inject drugs (PWID) throughout the world, 3 million of whom are estimated to be infected with HIV. In many countries, substantial proportions of PWID belong to racial/ethnic/nationality minority groups, and are at increased likelihood of being infected with HIV. This article reviews current evidence on ethnic disparities in HIV infection among PWID and assesses the issues that would need to be addressed to reduce these disparities. Recent findings An ongoing systematic review of ethnic disparities has found that, in a pooled weighted odds ratio, ethnic minority PWID are twice as likely to be HIV seropositive than ethnic majority, PWID from the same geographic area. If implemented with sufficient quality and coverage, current HIV prevention programs probably have the capability of ending HIV transmission among both ethnic majority and minority PWID. Large-scale, evidence-based prevention programs need to be implemented in the contexts of patterns of injecting drug use that continue to evolve-with injecting practices spreading to new areas, changes in drugs injected, and some transitions from injecting to noninjecting drug use. Lack of financial resources and policies against evidence-based programming are increasingly important problems that are likely to have particularly adverse effects on ethnic minority PWID. Summary Racial/ethnic/nationality disparities in HIV infection are quite common among PWID. Addressing these disparities will be a fundamental challenge within a human rights approach to public health

HSV-2 Infection as a Cause of Female/Male and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in HIV Infection.

To examine the potential contribution of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection to female/male and racial/ethnic disparities in HIV among non-injecting heroin and cocaine drug users. HSV-2 infection increases susceptibility to HIV infection by a factor of two to three.Subjects were recruited from entrants to the Beth Israel drug detoxification program in New York City 2005-11. All subjects reported current use of heroin and/or cocaine and no lifetime injection drug use. A structured questionnaire was administered and serum samples collected for HIV and HSV-2 testing. Population-attributable risk percentages (PAR%s) were calculated for associations between HSV-2 infection and increased susceptibility to HIV.1745 subjects were recruited from 2005-11. Overall HIV prevalence was 14%. Females had higher prevalence than males (22% vs. 12%) (p<0.001), African-Americans had the highest prevalence (15%), Hispanics an intermediate prevalence (12%), and Whites the lowest prevalence (3%) (p<.001). There were parallel variations in HSV-2 prevalence (females 86%, males 51%, African-Americans 66%, Hispanics 47%, Whites 36%), HSV-2 prevalence was strongly associated with HIV prevalence (OR  =  3.12 95% CI 2.24 to 4.32). PAR%s for HSV-2 as a cause of HIV ranged from 21% for Whites to 50% for females. Adjusting for the effect of increased susceptibility to HIV due to HSV-2 infection greatly reduced all disparities (adjusted prevalence  =  males 8%, females 11%; Whites 3%, African-Americans 10%, Hispanics 9%).Female/male and racial/ethnic variations in HSV-2 infection provide a biological mechanism that may generate female/male and racial/ethnic disparities in HIV infection among non-injecting heroin and cocaine users in New York City. HSV-2 infection should be assessed as a potential contributing factor to disparities in sexually transmitted HIV throughout the US

HIV and HSV-2 prevalence and associations by female/male and race/ethnicity among never-injecting drug users, New York City, 2005-2011.

<p>HIV and HSV-2 prevalence and associations by female/male and race/ethnicity among never-injecting drug users, New York City, 2005-2011.</p

Observed HIV prevalence, population attributable risk percentages, and adjusted HIV prevalence among never-injecting drug users, New York City, 2005–2011.

*<p>Adjustment removes the effect of increased susceptibility to HIV infection.</p><p>due to HSV-2 infection. Using formula: Adjusted prevalence  =  Observed.</p><p>prevalence (1 – PAR%).</p

HSV-2 seroprevalence by HIV seroprevalence and by gender among never-injecting drug users, New York City, 1995–1999 and 2005–2011.

*<p>Significant differences for males vs. females by chi-square test.</p>#<p>Significant differences for HIV seropositives vs. HIV seronegatives by chi-square test.</p

Demographic and drug use characteristics and sexual risk behaviors among never-injecting drug users, New York City, 1995–99 and 2005–11.

*<p>significant difference by chi-square test.</p