HIV in the Heartland: Experiences of Living with HIV in Urban and Rural Areas of the Midwest

Scholarly research on HIV/AIDS and stigma has largely demonstrated a different experience for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) who inhabit urban and rural areas. Largely missing from this scholarship are experiences in low prevalence areas. Low prevalence areas typically have fewer resources, social networks, and HIV infection and prevalence is less common. In this paper, we examine the challenges PLWHAs in rural and urban areas of the Midwest face and how these individuals manage, respond, and combat HIV/AIDS related stigmas in their communities. This paper utilizes interview data to understand the lived experiences of 18 persons living with HIV and AIDS. This paper reveals that respondents in rural areas are likely to be geographically dispersed, struggle with accessing healthcare services, believe their communities are less tolerant, and are less likely to disclose their positive status or seek out social support. Respondents who lived in urban areas were more likely to disclose their positive status, have access to AIDS service organizations and social support, and to participate in advocacy in the “HIV Community.” Our study demonstrates how social and community context are agentic players in shaping life chances, decisions, and behavior of the PLWHAs we interviewed

Spatial similarities and differences of attributes of three subwatersheds within the middle Smoky Hill river watershed and their relationship to instream total suspended solids

The objective of this study was to spatially analyze the attributes of three subwatersheds, Hydrological Unit Code 12 (HUC 12), of the Middle Smoky Hill River Watershed in west-central Kansas and relate the variances of the attributes to the concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) entering the Smoky Hill River during storm events. This was accomplished by comparing land cover, including cropland, grassland, and urban factors; agricultural practices, such as tillage methods, condition of terraces, and the presence of grass waterways; geomorphology, including soil types, topography, and visible erosion; and lastly, precipitation variance. The three HUC 12s that were studied were Buffalo Creek, Landon Creek, and Oak Creek. Cumulative results found that when statistically ranking characteristics of the HUCs from most to least desired, the mean rank of Buffalo Creek was 1.6, which was statistically lower (t = -2.51) than Oak Creek with a mean rank of 2.2, which was statistically equal (t = -0.11) to Landon Creek with a mean rank of 2.2. Therefore, out of the three watersheds, Buffalo Creek contained the most desired attributes that minimized erosion. According to the statistics in this study, the primary determining factors as to the increased TSS concentrations for Landon and Oak Creek are an increase in the number of fields with visible erosion, increase in population density, increased amount of impervious surface, and a greater proportional area of highly erodible soils

Case Study: Planning of the Upper Little Arkansas River Watershed District No. 95

Civil Engineerin