Current Population Data Research Articles

Digestive health in the elderly: faecal incontinence in adults.

Digestive health in the elderly: faecal incontinence in adults.

Exploring the endangered species criteria: rethinking the IUCN Red List Criteria

For preserving global biodiversity, we should evaluate the level of endangerment of a species based on information such as number and distribution of individuals, fluctuations and decline in abundance and distribution, and risk of extinction. We should then design conservation measures accordingly. The Species Survival Commission of IUCN has devoted itself to the study of IUCN Red List Criteria. The IUCN 40th Council Meeting adopted the so called modified Mace Lande Species Criteria as the standard criteria for the IUCN Red List in November 1994. The Red List is intended to focus national and local conservation actions on the species that most need support. Although the IUCN Red List is not an international law, it has deep impact on conservation decision making in governmental and nongovernmental organizations, as well as on conservation law and policy making in many countries. The IUCN Red List Criteria also have had a profound influence on the theory of conservation biology. However, when we tried to apply the IUCN Red List Criteria to assess the status of endangered aquatic wildlife in China, we found several problems: (1) How do we distinguish those species that are naturally rare and those species whose population and habitat are declining due to human activity? (2) Can we apply the same criteria to different taxonomic groups, particularly those with different life histories? (3) How do we evaluate changes in population density that occur in the core habitat versus those that occur in peripheral habitats of the same species? (4) How should we treat the extirpation of local populations in a metapopulation? (5) How to deal with those species that can be successfully bred in captivity? (6) If we do not have accurate historical and current population and habitat status data, how do we evaluate the level of endangerment of those species? We suggest solutions to those problems in this paper. Firstly, we set up simplified endangered species criteria categories: Least concern, Concern, Threatened, and Extinct, of which, Concern, Threatened, and are further divided into two levels: ordinary and highly. We further suggest distinguishing ecologically endangered species versus evolutionarily endangered species, and evaluating species with different life histories, for examples, the K strategists and r strategists, with different criteria. Third, we suggest the introduction of Economically Endangered as a criterion of Threatened for r strategy species. Fourth, more conservation attention should be allocated to endemic species. Finally, we introduce the metapopulation concept into evaluation of endangered aquatic wildlife.

Land use as a mitigation strategy for the water-quality impacts of global warming: a scenario analysis on two watersheds in the Ohio River Basin

This study uses an integrative approach to study the water-quality impacts of future global climate and land-use changes. In this study, changing land-use types was used as a mitigation strategy to reduce the adverse impacts of global climate change on water resources. The climate scenarios were based on projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Kingdom Hadley Centre’s climate model (HadCM2). The Thornthwaite waterbalance model was coupled with a land-use model (LTHIA) to investigate the hydrologic effects of future climate and land-use changes in the Ohio River Basin. The land-use model is based on the Soil Conservation Service’s curve-number method. It uses the curve number, an index of land use and soil type, to calculate runoff volume and depth. The Arc View programming language, A venue, was used to integrate the two models into a geographic information system (GIS). An output of the water-balance model, daily precipitation values adjusted for potential evapotranspiration, served as one of the inputs into the land-use model. Two watersheds were used in the present study: one containing the city of Cincinnati on the main stem of the Ohio River, and one containing the city of Columbus on a tributary of the Ohio River. These cities represent two major metropolitan areas in the Ohio River Basin with different land uses experiencing different rates of population growth. The projected hypothetical land-use changes were based on linear extrapolations of current population data. Results of the analyses indicate that conversion from agricultural land use to low-density residential land use may decrease the amount of surface runoff. The land-use practices which generate the least amo.unt of runoff are forest, low-density residential, and agriculture; whereas high-density residential and commercial land-use types produce the highest runoff. The hydrologic soil type present was also an important factor in determining the amount of runoff and non-point-source pollution. A runoff-depth matrix and total nitrogen matrix were created for Cincinnati and Columbus to describe possible land-use mitigation measures in response to global climate change. The differences in Cincinnati and Cohunbus were due to differences in geographic location, air temperature, and total runoff. The results of this study may be useful to planners and policy makers for defining the possible impacts of future global climate and land-use changes on water resources.

Perinatal outcome and the social contract: interrelationships between health and society.

Rates of infant mortality and prematurity or low birthweight serve as indirect measures of the health of a nation. This paper presents current population data documenting the still serious problem of perinatal outcome in the USA as well as in other economically developed countries. International comparisons suggest that nations which have the greatest inequality of income and social opportunity also have the most adverse perinatal, child and adult health outcomes. Furthermore, the data assert that these effects are independent of average national wealth or gross national economic productivity. Health status differs by social class and race, even among the most affluent sectors of the population. All social classes, even the wealthiest, suffer the health consequences of social inequalities. An explanatory socio-psychological theory of causality is proposed.

Intraclass and interclass correlations of allele sizes within and between loci in DNA typing data.

Nonparametric measures of correlations of DNA fragment lengths within and between variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci are proposed to test the hypothesis of random association of allele sizes at VNTR loci. Transformations of these nonparametric correlation measures are suggested to detect deviations of their null expectations caused by population subdivision and errors of measurement of VNTR fragment lengths. Analytic and permutation-based computer simulation studies are performed to show that under the hypothesis of independence of allele sizes the transformed correlation measures are normally distributed, irrespective of the VNTR fragment size distribution in the population even when the number of individuals samples is as low as 100. Power calculations are performed to establish that the current population data on six VNTR loci in the US Hispanic sample are in accordance with the hypothesis of random association of allele sizes within and between loci. Implications of these results in the context of forensic use of DNA typing are also discussed.

Suicide and homicide in the United States: an epidemiologic study of violent death, population changes, and the potential for prediction

The authors found significant positive correlations between the suicide and homicide rates for 15-24-year-olds and the proportion of 15-24-year-olds in the U.S. population from 1933 to 1982. Significant negative correlations were found for most adult age groups (35-64 years). Since future numbers of adolescents and adults can be estimated on the basis of current population data for children and preadolescents, the epidemiologic patterns for suicide and homicide may be predictable for certain age groups. However, methodologic problems are inherent in using national mortality and population data, and many years are necessary to evaluate such epidemiologic propositions.

6. Mixing Process of the Lunar Surface Materials and their Cosmic-Ray Exposure Age

From the cosmic ray exposure age data, (time scale 107 - 108 years), of the lunar surface materials, we discuss the mixing process of the lunar surface layer caused by the meteoroid impact cratering. The gardening effect calculated using a crater formation rate slightly modified from the current population data is consistent with observed exposure ages of the lunar samples.

Book Reviews

Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Studies of the Aged and Aging. Selected Documents, 11 Volumes. Compiled by the Staff of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Senate. Paper; free. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 1956. Vol. 1, Federal and State Activities, 309 pp. Vol. 2, Health and Health Services, 232 pp. Vol. 3, Income and Income Maintenance, 231 pp. Vol. 4, Employment, 48 pp. Vol. 5, Public and Private Services for Older People. Vol. 6, Care of the Aging by the Veterans Administration, 92 pp. Vol. 7, Guide to Significant Publications, 242 pp. Vol. 8, Current Population Data and Trends. Vol. 9, Research, Demonstration and Training, 157 pp. Vol. 10, Surveys of State and Local Projects, 144 pp. Vol. 11, Fact Book on Aging, 77 pp., 1956. Physical Therapy, Volume 37, Issue 10, October 1957, Pages 695–696, https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/37.10.695a Published: 01 October 1957