States Of Micronesia Research Articles

Risk factors for mortality during the 2002 landslides in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia

This study examines health effects resulting from landslides in Chuuk during Tropical Storm Chata'an in July 2002, and suggests strategies to prevent future mortality. In August 2002, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify risk factors for mortality during landslides, which included 52 survivors and 40 surrogates for 43 decedents to identify risk factors for death. Findings suggest that 1) females had a higher mortality rate from this event than males, and 2) children aged 5-14 years had a 10-fold increase in mortality when compared with annual mortality rates from all causes. Awareness of landslides occurring elsewhere and knowledge of natural warning signs were significantly associated with lower risks of death; being outside during landslides was not associated with reduced mortality. In Chuuk, improving communication systems during tropical storms and increasing knowledge of natural warnings can reduce the risk for mortality during landslides.

Bringing Mediation (Back) to Micronesia

Using a mediation training conducted in Kosrae, in the Federated States of Micronesia, as a backdrop, this paper describes an approach to cross-cultural teaching and training. The articles not only details the methods used, but also describes some of the many errors that were made by the trainers. This training experience in Micronesia, teaching full-time for one semester at City Poly-technic University in Hong Kong, and conducting trainings and making presentations about negotiations and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in many other countries, as well as the opportunity to teach many negotiation and ADR courses in Hawaii for non-native speakers of English, strongly influenced the author's perspective on cross-cultural teaching and training.

Merremia pacifica (Convolvulaceae) recharacterised, with notes on other Pacific species

Merremia pacifica Ooststr. is found to be more widespread than previously recognised, ranging from Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, southward to Vanuatu. A full description and illustrations are provided for this species, previously known only from the type collection (Fiji). Notes and observations are reported on three other taxa of Merremia in the Pacific.

FRESHWATER AND MARINE DIATOMS FROM THE WESTERN PACIFIC ISLANDS OF YAP AND GUAM, WITH NOTES ON SOME DIATOMS IN DAMSELFISH TERRITORIES

First records of diatoms from Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, are presented, including freshwater samples from an initial assessment of collections made in streams and estuaries and marine samples from nearby coral reefs during a brief survey of the Wa'ab group of islands. Thirty-eight species were documented from Yap; of these 13 had been reported from Guam. In addition we report 25 new records for Guam. The Guam records include especially some large chain-forming Coscinodiscophyceae and Mediophyceae, for which we have new observations on living cells and their habitats: the marine Chrysanthemodiscus floriatus, Stictocyclus stictodiscus, Biddulphiopsis membanacea, Lampriscus shadboltianum var. crenulata, L. orbiculatum, and Biddulphia biddulphiana; and the freshwater Terpsinoë musica. Diatoms have recently been shown to be significant components in the diets of some farmer fish and in Guam C. floriatus and B. membranacea, among others, commonly form blooms or dense mixed communities of epiphytes on the seaweed turfs in territories of these damselfish, including Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus and Stegastes nigricans.

Federated States of Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia

New Bioactive Bromotyrosine-Derived Alkaloid from a Marine Sponge Aplysinella sp.

A new bromotyrosine-derived alkaloid, (+)-aplysinillin (1), together with seven known compounds, was isolated from the crude organic extract of the marine sponge Aplysinella sp. collected from the Federated States of Micronesia. The structure of 1 was deduced by NMR and mass spectral techniques. Compounds 1-8 were evaluated for their inhibitory activity with the hyphae formation inhibition assay in Streptomyces 85E. Compounds 1 and 8 exhibited antiproliferative activities against the human breast adenocarcinoma cancer cell line MCF-7.

The computer and the canoe: web-based communities across the Pacific Islands

Issues relevant to web-based communities in the Pacific Islands are described. A brief geographic and demographic overview is provided, and unique cultural, social and educational challenges are discussed, with particular attention to Hawaii, American Samoa, and Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia as illustrative cases. The computer and allied web-based technologies are viewed as serving some of the same contemporary functions for voyagers as did the canoe, in the historical voyaging tradition. Projects that aim to address some of the educational and social needs of Pacific Islanders as voyagers at the University of Hawaii and as leaders in their home communities are presented.

Our Island Friends: Do We Still Care? The Compacts of Free Association with the Marshall Islands and Micronesia

Our Island Friends: Do We Still Care? The Compacts of Free Association with the Marshall Islands and Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia

Medical Support for Emergency Relief Workers After Typhoon Sudal in Yap, Micronesia

On 09 April 2004, Typhoon Sudal struck the Island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Over 90% of homes, public utilities, and public property were damaged or destroyed. Nearly 10% of the population was displaced to shelters, and the majority of the population was without drinking water or power. United States disaster workers were deployed to Yap for three months to assist in the recovery and relief efforts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute healthcare needs of the US disaster relief population serving in a remote setting with limited medical resources. A retrospective chart review of all disaster relief workers presenting to an emergency clinic in Yap during the disaster relief effort from April 2004-July 2004 was performed. Investigators extracted demographic data, chief complaints, medical histories, medical management, disposition, and outcome data from the clinic charts. Together, the 60 disaster workers present on Yap during the relief effort made 163 patient contacts in the disaster emergency clinic. A total of 92% of patient contacts were for minor medical complaints or minor trauma, 13% were for upper-respiratory infections, 9% were for gastrointestinal illness, and 9% were for dermatological problems. Eight percent of visits were for serious medical problems or trauma. Life-threatening illnesses or injuries did not occur. Disaster relief workers on Yap frequently utilized the disaster relief clinic. In general, disaster workers remained healthy during the relief effort in Yap, and most injuries and illnesses were minor. On-site medical providers resulted in rapid care and stabilization, and after treatment, disaster workers were able to return to duty.

Health Information Management in Remote Tropical Islands

Providing good quality health services and reporting of health related activities in remote island communities presents unique challenges, some of which are not apparent without personal experience in these regions. This article discusses the author's recent experiences in the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean, as well as in Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, two offshore Australian Territories situated in the Indian Ocean.

US economic assistance to two Micronesian nations: Aid impact, dependency and migration

: The USA provides economic assistance to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands under the Compacts of Free Association. Both economies demonstrate three of the four MIRAB components: migration, aid and bureaucracy. Only the remittance structure has not developed. Significant US assistance supported large government sectors in both nations. Reductions in US assistance of over a 17-year period led many island citizens to migrate to the USA. However, to date, remittances have not been substantial. In addition to structural challenges, both nations face institutional constraints including poor governance and lack of accountability over assistance. To improve future growth through more effective use of US assistance, these institutional constraints must be overcome. Future US assistance to both nations will fall over the next 20 years, putting pressure on the island governments and will likely contract their economies. The need for remittance streams is likely to increase. New Compact assistance structures strive to improve aid accountability.

Corrosion and conservation management of iron shipwrecks in Chuuk Lagoon, Federated States of Micronesia

A series of in situ corrosion measurements on World War II Japanese merchant and military vessels sunk in Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon in 1944 was conducted in 2002 as part of a study of the cultural heritage values of the wreck sites. The data provide evidence of episodic loss of the protective layer of marine concretion, which directly increases corrosion of the underlying metal and removal of the archival microenvironment record. It is likely that dynamite ‘fishing’ is the most likely cause of such losses. All the vessels, apart from the Fujikawa Maru, showed a corrosion mechanism that is common to historic iron shipwrecks. The apparent sensitivity of the corrosion potentials and the pH of the corroding interfaces to water depth have been interpreted in terms of the overall amount of water movement and the aspect or orientation of the wrecks with regard to being horizontal, upside down or inclined. Corrosion rate equations predict that many of the wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon will retain their existing integrity for the next ten to fifteen years before undergoing significant collapse. The corrosion rates in Chuuk Lagoon were between 26%and 30% lower than the iron shipwrecks at the same depth in open-ocean waters.

Cynthia Kilburn Kelly—friend and mentor

One of the legends in geriatric nursing passed away June 23, 2005, at Foulkeways, a Friends (Quaker) Retirement Center in Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. Cynthia Kilburn Kelly, first editor of Geriatric Nursing journal, was born in Bedford, Massachusetts; received her BA from Wellesley College; her BS from Columbia University; and her nursing diploma from Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing. She attended the University of Pennsylvania where she received her master’s degree in nursing science. Cynthia was employed in clinical, teaching, and administrative nursing from 1949 to 1972. From 1972 through 1978, she was senior editor of the American Journal of Nursing; from 1979 through 1986, she served as the first editor of Geriatric Nursing. Her many interests included family, travel, music, gardening, playing Scrabble, and learning from people of the developing nations. Cynthia was a leader in the field of geriatric nursing. As the first editor of the Journal, her expertise and philosophy formed the direction the publication would take for several years. She was the person who personally helped me leap the hurdles of neophyte editorship and, until 2 months before her death, she was still giving me advice and assistance. Early on she recommended that I take the editorials very seriously, writing, “Your plans for the Journal sound ambitious and interesting. My only regret is that you are giving the editorial to others. A strong editorial by the editor in each issue is, I believe, the best means to develop the magazine’s character and point of view. Pat Lewis’s editorials in Nursing Outlook, Thelma Schoor’s in AJN and Barb Schutt’s in AJN are classics” (Cynthia Kelly, personal correspondence, 1994). I took her advice. One of the features of Geriatric Nursing that she particularly enjoyed was called “70 and Going Strong” in which she brought to the attention of readers the vitality of various-aged individuals. Her own amazing vitality was exemplified when she joined the Peace Corps at age 70 and spent 2 years on the island of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia (1990-91). Her meticulous and expansive knowledge of how to use the English language correctly was impressive. Until her last months, she was pro-

Vitamin A Intake and Factors Influencing it Amongst Children and Caretakers in Kosrae, Micronesia

A cross-sectional study was undertaken in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia to assess preschool children and caretaker dietary intake of vitamin A (VA) (including provitamin A carotenoids) and other nutrients contributing to VA status and to investigate relationships between VA intake and factors affecting dietary intake. Ethnography, food sample analysis, two dietary assessment methods (7-day food frequency questionnaire and quantitative 24-hour recall for three nonconsecutive days) administered by trained interviewers to a random sample group, and cultivar difference specification (yellow-fleshed versus white-fleshed bananas) contributed to the richness of the study. Vitamin A intake was low, approximately half of the estimated requirements for children (n = 65) and caretakers (n = 65), whereas protein intake was high. There were no clear significant relationships associated with gender, caretaker education, caretaker occupation, and socio-economic status with VA intake, indicating that a broad-based intervention over all population segments is needed to change dietary behavior. The ethnographic approach was critical for survey instrument development and data analysis. Acknowledgement is made to The University of Queensland for provision of the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship for the primary author, who collected the data as part of her PhD research project. The Task Force Sight and Life, Thrasher Research Fund, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided funding support. All those providing assistance in the ethnographic study and dietary assessment are warmly thanked, including Dr. Eliuel Pretrick, Dr. Hiroshi Ismail, Mayble Sigrah, Jocelyn Charley, Cathy Wakuk, Isabel George, Matchuko Talley, Dr. Vita Skilling, and Procula Jackson.

Nipaecoccus nipae . [Distribution map

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Nipaecoccus nipae (Maskell) Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae Hosts: Avocado ( Persea americana ), guava ( Psidium guajava ), palms and many other hosts. Information is given on the geographical distribution in EUROPE, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia (former), France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Madeira, Russia, Central Russia, Spain, Canary Islands, UK, ASIA, China, Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Republic of Georgia, Indonesia, Java, Korea Republic, Turkey, AFRICA, Algeria, Madagascar, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe, NORTH AMERICA, Mexico, USA, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto, Rico, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States Virgin Islands, SOUTH AMERICA, Argentina, Brazil, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, OCEANIA, Fed. States of Micronesia, Guam, Samoa.

Federated States of Micronesia: 2004 Article IV Consultation-Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Federated States of Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia: 2004 Article IV Consultation-Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Federated States of Micronesia

Risk factors for vitamin A deficiency among preschool aged children in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

In 1993, the Department of Health of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) conducted a population-based stratified random survey among 355 children aged 24-48 months in Pohnpei, one of the four FSM States. The objective was to determine the prevalence, and explore risk factors for vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Trained field workers collected data from a range of demographic, dietary and socioeconomic variables related to the children. The serum retinol concentration was 19.4 +/- 7.5 microg/dl (mean +/- SD), and the VAD prevalence (serum retinol <20 microg/dl) 53.1 per cent. The significant independent risk factors, determined by logistic regression, were: mother's work at home, sibling <2 years older, rural household located on the main island, early weaning, and child anemia, controlling for pipe water and electricity in the household. If compared with a reference of apparently healthy children of similar age in the USA, the distribution of serum retinol among young Pohnpei children was shifted entirely to low levels. We conclude that eliminating the pervasive VAD problem in Pohnpei would require a multi-pronged tactical approach that combines dietary improvement strategies with the ongoing supplementation effort.

Icerya aegyptiaca . [Distribution map

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Icerya aegyptiaca Douglas Hemiptera: Margarodidae Hosts: Fruit trees, mainly breadfruit and jackfruit ( Artocarpus spp. ), also Annona spp., Citrus spp., Mangifera indica, Manilkara zapota, Morus alba and Psidium guajava. Information is given on the geographical distribution in ASIA, Bangladesh, China, Guangdong, Hong Kong, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal, Israel, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, AFRICA, Benin, Cote d'lvoire, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, OCEANIA, Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Fed. States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, Wake Island.

Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli . [Distribution map

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli (Cooley). Hemiptera: Diaspididae Hosts: Mango ( Mangifera indica ), Oleander ( Nerium oleander ) and various palms. Information is given on the geographical distribution in EUROPE, France, Italy, Russia, Russian Far East, UK, ASIA, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hong Kong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Nei Menggu, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Indonesia, Java, Japan, Bonin Islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Archipelago, Shikoku, Korea Democratic People's Republic, Korea Republic, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, AFRICA, Aldabra, Comoros, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion, Rodrigues Island, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, NORTH AMERICA, USA, Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, CENTRAL AMERICA &amp; CARIBBEAN, Guatemala, United States, Virgin Islands, OCEANIA, Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Fed. States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.