Calling Foul: Deficiencies in Approaches to Environmental Whistleblowers and Suggested Reforms

Whistleblowers could facilitate the regulation of the environmental sector at little to no cost to the taxpayer. Often, potential whistleblowers have timely access to information that would enable them to avert or minimize environmental damage and to protect our communities. However, existing federal and state regulations fail to adequately protect environmental whistleblowers and to incentivize potential environmental whistleblowers. These failures unjustly penalize whistleblowers and discourage potential whistleblowers. This article uses research findings and a case study to illuminate these failings and to argue for reforms that would better protect and incentivize whistleblower

Atividades de pesquisa em produção e nutrição de peixes de corte e ornamental

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Ciências Agrárias. Curso de Agronomia.O estágio de conclusão de curso foi realizado no Setor de Piscicultura do Departamento de Biologia Animal (DBA), da Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), em Viçosa-MG, com duração de 390 horas. No referido setor foram desenvolvidas atividades de ensino pesquisa e extensão, usufruindo de uma estrutura com três laboratórios de nutrição de peixes e também dos laboratórios: de digestibilidade e reprodução induzida de peixes, de biometria de peixes e análise de água, de fisiologia e nutrição de peixes e o laboratório de processamento e armazenamento de rações. Dentre as atividades realizadas, a montagem e adequação do Laboratório de Nutrição de Peixes 3 foi de grande valia, pois pude participar dos processos de tomada de decisão, desde a aquisição do material até a instalação dos aquários, sistemas de aeração, aquecimento e ajustes finais. Participar dos manejos de rotina como banho de sal nos peixes após a coleta nos tanques, arraçoamento diário, controle dos parâmetros de qualidade da água e do manejo reprodutivo das espécies cultivadas no setor de piscicultura, serviu para reforçar a importância de serem realizadas boas práticas de manejo produtivo. Dos experimentos acompanhados, no de determinação dos níveis de proteína bruta e energia bruta para juvenis de pacamã (Lophiosilurus alexandri), pude auxiliar na recepção dos animais, biometria e distribuição dos peixes nos aquários, dentro do delineamento experimental. No experimento de transporte de juvenis de carpa ornamental (KOI) Cyprinus carpio, sobre o efeito do óleo de hortelã e do tempo de jejum, pude auxiliar nas análises de estresse oxidativo. Durante o estágio foram também cursadas as disciplinas de Ictiologia, Limnologia e Piscicultura e de Manejo e Administração em Piscicultura. O objetivo deste relatório foi acompanhar e auxiliar as diferentes etapas de desenvolvimento de experimentos de produção e nutrição de peixes, assim como das atividades rotineiras do Setor de Piscicultura

The Experiences of Occupational Therapists in Natural Disasters: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE. This study explored the experiences of occupational therapists who have lived through a natural disaster within the last five years. METHOD. Researchers conducted a literature review and developed a semi-structured interview using the Person Environment Occupation Performance (PEOP) model as a guide. Six occupational therapists (1 male and 5 females) were selected using convenience and purposive snowball sampling. Each participant was interviewed one time. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and data was analyzed using an open coding system. FINDINGS. Following the data analysis process, four categories were identifies. These categories included personal experience, environmental influence, social experience, and professional experience. Two final assertions emerged from the data. The first assertion is that the floods affected the occupational aspects of the participants’ lives personally, environmentally, socially, and professionally. The second assertion is that the participants’ identities as occupational therapists influenced the way in which they responded to the disruptions in their lives. Natural disasters impact all aspects of individuals’ lives. Occupational therapists have the skills and knowledge base to assist individuals in recovering from natural disasters. Additional research is needed to further develop and support the role of occupational therapy in natural disaster relief

A Survey of Psychologists’ Attitudes Towards and Utilization of Exposure Therapy for PTSD

Although research supports the efficacy of exposure therapy for PTSD, some evidence suggests that exposure is under-utilized in general clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to assess licensed psychologists’ use of imaginal exposure for PTSD and to investigate perceived barriers to its implementation. A total of 852 psychologists from 3 states were randomly selected and surveyed. An additional 50 members of a trauma special interest group of a national behavior therapy organization were also surveyed. The main survey results indicate that a large majority of licensed doctoral level psychologists do not report use of exposure therapy to treat patients with PTSD. Although approximately half of the main study sample reported that they were at least somewhat familiar with exposure for PTSD, only a small minority used it to treat PTSD in their clinical practice. Even among psychologists with strong interest and training in behavioral treatment for PTSD, exposure therapy is not completely accepted or widely used. Clinicians also appear to perceive a significant number of barriers to implementing exposure

Bioactivities of Synthesized Curcumin, Curcuminoids, and Their Metal Complexes

Curcumin is a compound, derived from the Curcuma longa plant, which has shown anticancer activity and relatively low toxicity in humans. It has been a subject of significant interest in recent years as an adjuvant chemotherapy agent. Literature data for curcumin and related curcuminoids have shown discrepancies in the irreported bioactivities, and this has spurred disputes in the scientific community about their purported benefits. A possible explanation for these inconsistencies is variability between curcumin sources in purity and content. A systematic study has been conducted on the biological properties of curcumin from various sources, both naturally sourced and synthesized using neat and solvent-based methods. Bioactivities tested included antioxidative capacity and cell growth inhibition. This study has also been expanded to include curcuminoids containing varied electronic and structural features, and biological properties were also evaluated after coordination to a metal

Mt. Carmel, PA Community Welcome Packet

The Mt. Carmel, PA Community Welcome Packet is an 18 page document prepared by four students for the Bucknell University undergraduate course Geography 218, taught by Vanessa Massaro. The document includes an index of local services, a section of four possible programs for the community to initiate, and a source section with references to successful programs

Hotline Number to Reach and Offer Agricultural Information to Plain Anabaptists during the COVID-19 Workplace Closures

The Penn State Extension Animal Systems Team developed a toll-free hotline phone number to convey short educational messages to maintain contact and outreach to Pennsylvania’s animal producing Amish, Mennonite, and other plain Anabaptist populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State Extension’s programming went largely online via webinars, online courses, and emails. This change in programming excluded a large sector of Pennsylvania farmers who do not use or have access to the internet and, as such, were liable to miss important best management practice reviews and timely updates in animal agriculture. The Animal Systems Hotline offered callers the choice to listen to pre-recorded messages from dairy, equine, livestock, and poultry Extensions. Across the Animal Systems Team, during a span of approximately 22 weeks, a total of 111 messages were uploaded to the Hotline, with a total of 2,201 people calling in to the Hotline. Topics varied across the Extensions from the basics of animal husbandry and health to pasture and nutrition management. Since the development of the Hotline, Extension educators have received calls from plain producers requesting more information about the topics covered on the Hotline messages. While there were challenges with the system used for the Hotline and data collection, the broad reach and numerous callers indicates that the Hotline was a successful method of connecting with plain audiences. [Abstract by authors.

The Frequency Distribution of Daily Precipitation over the United States

This study examines the seasonal frequency distribution of daily precipitation and related variables over the United States using the North American Regional Reanalysis. Regions where the seasonal mean precipitation is dominated by heavy and extreme daily events or by more consistent lighter events are identified. The distributions are related to the variability of the vertically integrated moisture flux convergence (MFC) and precipitable water. The modulation of daily precipitation by ENSO and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) during winter is investigated. Assuming that the frequency of daily precipitation can be approximated by a gamma distribution, the scale and shape parameters are useful proxies to estimate the observed frequency distribution of precipitation. During winter, most areas of the country with high mean precipitation have a strong contribution from extreme events, particularly along the West and Gulf Coasts. During summer, the wettest areas of the country are Florida, where the mean precipitation is dominated by more-frequent light and moderate rainfall days, and the central Plains, dominated by variable rains and extreme events. Throughout the year, the MFC mean and scale parameter patterns strongly resemble those of precipitation, and areas with more heavy and extreme precipitation have stronger MFC daily values. These results suggest that the frequency distribution of MFC can be used as a proxy for the frequency distribution of modeled forecast precipitation. Changes in the winter total precipitation between the phases of ENSO are largely attributable to changes in the heavy and extreme events. Areas showing increased mean precipitation during the warm phase show an even greater increase in extremes. Similar to precipitation, strong values of MFC are more sensitive to ENSO phase than is the mean MFC. While the ENSO variability of the frequency distribution of MFC shows a strong relationship to that of precipitation, the variability of precipitable water does not. MJO modulation of winter daily precipitation over the central U.S. occurs primarily during MJO Phases 5 and 6, when MJO-related enhanced convection is located in the western Pacific. During these phases, the winter storm track is enhanced, and positive MFC anomalies are present in the central U.S