Soda and Tobacco Industry Corporate Social Responsibility Campaigns: How Do They Compare?

In an article that forms part of the PLoS Medicine series on Big Food, Andrew Cheyne and colleagues compare soda companies' corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns - which are designed to bolster the image and popularity of their products and to prevent regulation - with the tobacco industry's CSR campaigning

The Influence of Edge Conditions and Initial Deflections of a Plate under Normal Pressure

In an interesting Technical Note in the January 1953 Journal, Messrs. Dickinson and Hadley reported some results from tests made to check a proposed extension to the Royal Aeronautical Society Data Sheets on stresses and deflections in flat panels subjected to normal pressure. The test rig was originally too weak and did not provide the edge conditions which were assumed when calculating the curves of Data Sheet 02.09.02. This explains the discrepancy with regard to the deflections, but it is remarkable that the measured membrane stresses f3 were so low. It is a well-known fact that the membrane tension at the centre of a square plate with large deflections is not influenced very much by different edge conditions. This can be seen in Data Sheet 02.09.05 where the two extremes, free edges and edges held apart, are represented for a square plate with edges free to rotate. The membrane tension at the edge is, of course, much more sensitive for an edge displacement, but we suppose that f3, is the membrane stress at the centre of the plate (as in Data Sheet 02.09.05).</jats:p

An Inventory of Trilobites from National Park Service Areas

Trilobites represent an extinct group of Paleozoic marine invertebrate fossils that have great scientific interest and public appeal. Trilobites exhibit wide taxonomic diversity and are contained within nine orders of the Class Trilobita. A wealth of scientific literature exists regarding trilobites, their morphology, biostratigraphy, indicators of paleoenvironments, behavior, and other research themes. An inventory of National Park Service areas reveals that fossilized remains of trilobites are documented from within at least 33 NPS units, including Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. More than 120 trilobite hototype specimens are known from National Park Service areas

An Inventory of Trilobites from National Park Service Areas

Trilobites represent an extinct group of Paleozoic marine invertebrate fossils that have great scientific interest and public appeal. Trilobites exhibit wide taxonomic diversity and are contained within nine orders of the Class Trilobita. A wealth of scientific literature exists regarding trilobites, their morphology, biostratigraphy, indicators of paleoenvironments, behavior, and other research themes. An inventory of National Park Service areas reveals that fossilized remains of trilobites are documented from within at least 33 NPS units, including Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. More than 120 trilobite hototype specimens are known from National Park Service areas

Peer Group Intervention Reduces Personal HIV Risk for Malawian Health Workers

PURPOSE: To test a peer group intervention to address personal HIV prevention needs of rural health workers in Malawi. DESIGN: Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared district health workers in two districts of Malawi that were randomly assigned to either the intervention or delayed control condition. We used independent sample surveys at baseline, 15 months, and 30 months postintervention. Intervention district workers received a peer group intervention after the baseline; control district workers received the delayed intervention after final data collection. METHODS: The 10-session intervention for primary prevention of HIV infection was based on the primary healthcare model, behavioral change theory, and contextual tailoring based on formative evaluation. Differences in HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors were analyzed using t tests and multiple regression controlling for baseline differences. FINDINGS: Health workers in the intervention district had higher general HIV knowledge, more positive attitudes about condoms, higher self-efficacy for safer sex, and more involvement in community HIV prevention at both the 15-month and 30-month postintervention survey. At 30 months, intervention district workers also reported less stigmatizing attitudes toward persons living with AIDS, more HIV tests, and lower risky sexual behaviors. CONCLUSION: The intervention should be sustained in current sites and scaled up for health workers throughout Malawi as part of a multisectoral response to HIV prevention. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Incorporating a peer group intervention focused on personal as well as work-related HIV prevention can reduce health workers’ risky behaviors in their personal lives, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality and enhancing workforce retention. Reducing stigmatizing attitudes may also improve the quality of health services