Caribbean region

The objectives of the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) are to investigate the nature, severity, and impairment of mental disorders among national samples of the black and non-Hispanic white (n = 1,006) populations in the US. Special emphasis in the study is given to the nature of race and ethnicity within the black population by selecting and interviewing national samples of African-American (N = 3,570), and Afro-Caribbean (N = 1,623) immigrant and second and older generation populations. National multi-stage probability methods were used in generating the samples and race/ethnic matching of interviewers and respondents were used in the largely face-to-face interview, which lasted on average 2 hours and 20 minutes. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV World Mental Health Composite Interview (WHO-CIDI) was used to assess a wide range of serious mental disorders, potential risk and resilience factors, and help seeking and service use patterns. This paper provides an overview of the design of the NSAL, sample selection procedures, recruitment and training of the national interviewing team, and some of the special problems faced in interviewing ethnically and racially diverse national samples. Unique features of sample design, including special screening and listing procedures, interviewer training and supervision, and response rate outcomes are described. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

This study aims to study the distribution of contaminants in rivers that flow into the Caribbean Sea using chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and suspended sediment (SS) as markers and ALOS AVNIR-2 satellite sensor data. The Haina River (HN) and Ozama and Isabela Rivers (OZ-IS) that flow through the city of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, were chosen. First, in situ spectral reflectance/Chl-a and SS datasets obtained from these rivers were acquired in March 2011 (case A: with no rain influence) and June 2011 (case B: with rain influence), and the estimation algorithm of Chl-a and SS using AVNIR-2 data was developed from the datasets. Moreover, the developed algorithm was applied to AVNIR-2 data in November 2010 for case A and August 2010 for case B. Results revealed that for Chl-a and SS estimations under cases A and B conditions, the reflectance ratio of AVNIR-2 band 4 and band 3 (AV4/AV3) and the reflectance of AVNIR-2 band 4 (AV4) were effective. The Chl-a and SS mapping...

One out of three people (25% of men, 38% of women) in Curacao have experienced some form of domestic violence at some point in their adult lives. The most significant risk factors for domestic violence in Curacao are the female gender, a young age, low education, and experiencing domestic violence victimization in childhood. Divorce, single parenthood, and unemployment increase the risk for women, but not for men. These findings are consistent with current literature on the subject. Further research on the context, nature, and severity of domestic violence in the Caribbean is necessary. Studies should preferably combine the strengths of national crime surveys and family conflict studies: nationally representative samples (including men and women) and questionnaires that include all possible experiences of psychological, physical, and sexual assaults by current and former partners, family, and friends.

To date, most assessments of coral connectivity have emphasized long-distance horizontal dispersal of propagules from one shallow reef to another. The extent of vertical connectivity, however, remains largely understudied. Here, we used newly-developed and existing DNA microsatellite loci for the brooding coral Porites astreoides to assess patterns of horizontal and vertical connectivity in 590 colonies collected from three depth zones (≤10 m, 15-20 m and ≥25 m) at sites in Florida, Bermuda and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). We also tested whether maternal transmission of algal symbionts (Symbiodinium spp.) might limit effective vertical connectivity. Overall, shallow P. astreoides exhibited high gene flow between Florida and USVI, but limited gene flow between these locations and Bermuda. In contrast, there was significant genetic differentiation by depth in Florida (Upper Keys, Lower Keys and Dry Tortugas), but not in Bermuda or USVI, despite strong patterns of depth zonation in ...

We conducted a fl oristic inventory of the vascular plants from El Agüil, a tropical dry forest crossed by a riparian forest in northern Colombia. This area is under consideration to be protected by CORPOCESAR. Thus, in addition to contribute to the knowledge of the fl ora of the Caribbean region of Colombia, we hope that our results might help local governments to develop strategies for the conservation of this area. . We found 70 families, 174 genera and 217 species; 85% of them were Dicots, 14% Monocots and 1% Pterydophytes. Leguminosae with 40 species, was the most important group of plants and was distributed as follows: Fabaceae (20 species/12 genera), Mimosaceae (10/9), and Caesalpinaceae (8/5); other important families were Rubiaceae (10/9), Euphorbiaceae (9/4) Bignoniaceae (8/6) and Acanthaceae (8/5). Acalypha, Bauhinia, Machaerium, Piper, Solanum and Serjania were wellrepresented genera, each one with three species; most genera (84%) were represented by one species. About 16% of the species are widely distributed in the Neotropical region; however, most species in our study area are also present in Central America. Only seven species are restricted to Colombia. Acalypha carrascoana, Gustavia gracillima and Pseudobombax maximum are reported as chorological novelties. The riparian forest of the El Agüil is characterized by many small trees with less than 10 m in height and 10 cm in diameter. Despite of being subject to strong human pressure, the uniqueness and diversity of El Agüil is still highly valuable; thus, we suggested the local government to begin its protection.

Podría decir que el libro de Eda Burgos La caña de azúcar en el proceso histórico de cinco pueblos al sur de Puerto Rico es dos libros en uno. En la primera y última parte presenta su propuesta para una Ruta de la Caña en cinco municipios del sur y la Ruta de la caña de Santa Isabel con un detallado inventario de cultura material de ese mundo en cada uno de los municipios y hasta hacienda por hacienda. Pero en los capítulos II al IV la autora recrea el mundo económico, social y cultural de la caña en un análisis valiosísimo que hubiera podido ser un libro por sus propios méritos.

De manera que el libro está basado en dos investigaciones: una es una observación minuciosa sobre el terreno y documentación gráfica que está en los capítulos V y VI sobre el patrimonio existente sobre el terreno de “los remanentes de la siembra y procesamiento de la caña de azúcar en el sur” (V) y las edificaciones y lugares más importantes para una “ruta de la caña de azúcar en Santa Isabel” (VI). La otra es la que llevó a cabo a través de fuentes secundarias, documentos, obras de arte, visitas y, sobre todo entrevistas a informantes de diversas clases sociales, para presentarnos una descripción integral del mundo de la caña en sus diversas manifestaciones tecnológicas, económicas, comerciales, sociales y culturales. Esta parte es interesantísima, sumamente original y nos provee una visión de conjunto sobre un largo periodo de la historia de estos pueblos del sur de Puerto Rico. Cuando uno lee estos capítulos comprende la importancia de esta industria en la constitución y la experiencia colectiva del pueblo puertorriqueño, así como las vinculaciones transatlánticas de la historia de Puerto Rico.

By the end of 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) achieved 63% antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage. Measures to control HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) at the country level are recommended to maximize the efficacy and sustainability of ART programs. Since 2006, the Pan American Health Organization has supported implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) strategy for HIVDR prevention and assessment through regional capacity-building activities and direct technical cooperation in 30 LAC countries. By 2010, 85 sites in 19 countries reported early warning indicators, providing information about the extent of potential drivers of drug resistance at the ART site. In 2009, 41.9% of sites did not achieve the WHO target of 100% appropriate first-line prescriptions; 6.3% still experienced high rates (> 20%) of loss to follow-up, and 16.2% had low retention of patients (< 70%) on first-line prescriptions in the first year of treatment. Stock-outs of antiretroviral drugs occurred at 22.7% of sites. Haiti, Guyana, and the Mesoamerican region are planning and implementing WHO HIVDR monitoring surveys or threshold surveys. New HIVDR surveillance tools for concentrated epidemics would promote further scale-up. Extending the WHO HIVDR lab network in Latin America is key to strengthening regional lab capacity to support quality assured HIVDR surveillance. The WHO HIVDR control strategy is feasible and can be rolled out in LAC. Integrating HIVDR activities in national HIV care and treatment plans is key to ensuring the sustainability of this strategy.

A detailed catalogue of spermatophytes from the Colombian Caribbean region is presented. The results are based on field inventories developed by members of Grupo Biodiversidad y Conservacion and on the study of collections of the Colombian National Herbaria (COL). The catalogue is composed of 4272 plant species belonging to nine gymnosperms and 4263 angiosperms, including 829 monocotyledons and 3434 dicotyledons. 203 families were recorded, with the most diverse being Poaceae (306 species/113 genus), Asteraceae (304/132), Fabaceae (190/61), Rubiaceae (185/59), and Euphorbiaceae (146/43). 1435 genera were recorded corresponding to five gymnosperms (the most significant Podocarpus (three species) and Chigua and Prumnopitys with two species each) and 1430 Angiosperms (291 monocotyledons, 1139 dicotyledons). In the latter group, the most diverse were Solanum (51 species), Miconia (50), Peperomia (38), Piper and Ficus (36 each). The mountain region contains 2800 species and the plains, 2616. The most diverse sectors in the mountain region are Serrania of Perijá with 1906 species and the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta with 1591. The Caribbean plain contains 2117 taxa, followed by the wetlands and surroundings with 551 species. Families with less than four genera are predominat, representing 66% of the total; genera with a single species are also predominat (52%). The specific index at the family level indicates that those families with ten or less species represent 64% of the total. Comparing the listed species with those included in a risk category of the IUCN, 13 are critically endangered (CR), 28 endangered (EN), and 15 vulnerable (VU).

BACKGROUND: As the resource implications of expanding anti-retroviral therapy (ART) are likely to be large, there is a need to explore its cost-effectiveness. So far, there is no such information available from Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of ART for routine clinical practice in a district hospital setting in Ethiopia. METHODS: We estimated the unit cost of HIV-related care

Abstract                                                                                                    9 January 2010
Paper:  RICE AND BEANS IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN
Riva Berleant          Professor of Anthropology (emerita)      University of Connecticut P.O. Box 52  Castine ME  04421  U.S.A.  Riva.Berleant@uconn.edu    207-326-4306       

Rice and beans, omnipresent in the American tropics and subtropics, embrace in a single dish the antitheses of the region: peasant and plantation; highland and lowland; native and alien, local culture and colonial power. This paper explores rice and beans in the Lesser Antillean societies of the eastern Caribbean, where cultural range and variety flourish within structural commonality. It briefly reviews the history of rice and of beans in the Caribbean. It selects two islands of disparate physical environments and divergent colonial history--Barbuda and Montserrat--to illustrate regional variety, and explores the culinary, symbolic, and economic roles of rice and beans in those island societies.