Little difference in CD4 lymphocyte counts or percentages by duration of infection within 24 months was evident on initial clinical evaluation of HIV seroconverters. The high percentage of seroconverters presenting with low CD4 counts or percentages suggests a population of seroconverters with rapid depletion of CD4 lymphocytes following seroconversion.

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Summary ProblemAccidental injuries accounted for almost 25% of all days lost because of hospitalizations for Navy enlisted personnel in 1974. Previous studies have found that pre-enlistment individual characteristics such as age at enlistment, general aptitude, and education level predicted military performance effectiveness during and after recruit training.Because previous studies have found highest accident rates among first term enlistees, this study will determine the relationship of these pre-service characteristics, plus occupation, to accidental injuries for a cohort of naval enlistees throughout the first enlistment. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to relate preenlistment and service-related characteristics to accidental injury rates for first term enlistees in order to identify high risk groups and focus preventive efforts.

A total of 1,371 hospitalizations and 136 deaths occurred in U.S. Navy enlisted personnel from 1974 to 1985 as a result of exposures to hazardous materials. Exposures to various gas fumes and vapors accounted for the largest percentage of all hospitalizations (38%), and the second largest percentage of deaths (20.6%). The most frequent cause of death was from carbon monoxide poisoning; nearly 74% of all reported deaths were attributed to this gas. Hospitalization rates were highest among the 17- to 19-year-olds across all race categories. This may be attributed either to their lack of experience and knowledge concerning the safe handling of these materials, or perhaps a disproportionate number of 17- to 19-year-olds are given tasks which put them at higher risk. The Navy occupations showing the highest risk for various exposures to hazardous materials were Utilitiesman, Hull Maintenance Technician, and Boatswain's Mate. It is the inhalation of these compounds which poses the greatest health risk to personnel both onshore and aboard ships.

WHEN supervisor ratings of performance are obtained in industrial or military training programs to serve as predictors of later performance ratings in the field, attention should perhaps be given to the organizational rank of the supervisors involved.Different ranks or status levels of supervisors in formal organizations are generally accompanied by corresponding differences in roles and in responsibilities relative to subordinate personnel. Such role differences could conceivably affect the way in which subordinates are perceived by supervisors (see Jones & Thibaut, 1958, pp. 151-178), and thereby could affect the extent to which performance ratings are in agreement with earlier predictions or ratings.The present study, conducted in a military setting, reveals the amount of agreement between performance ratings given a t different times by supervisors of similar and dissimilar rank levels. MethodOn a sample of 1,762 male enlisted Marines, platoon supervisors rated their men as being among the upper 25%, middle 50%, or lower 25% of their peers on overall performance after the first two weeks of basic training. After two years of duty, 893 of those subjects were again rated on overall performance on the same scale by their field supervisors. ,4nd finally, toward the end of four years of duty, still another group of field supervisors rated 1,242 of the subjects on a seven-point scale ranging from "outstanding" to "inferior performance." Both two-year