Asbestos Neglect: Why Asbestos Exposure Deserves Greater Policy Attention

While many public health threats are now widely appreciated by the public, the risks from asbestos exposure remain poorly understood, even in high-risk groups. This article makes the case that asbestos exposure is an important, ongoing global health threat, and argues for greater policy efforts to raise awareness of this threat. It also proposes the extension of asbestos bans to developing countries and increased public subsidies for asbestos testing and abatement

Reflex impairment as a measure of vitality and survival potential of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

A ssur ing the v itality and survival potential of live-caught Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is important for improving the sorting of fish before net penning operations designed to hold fish for growth and later market. When Atlantic cod are captured by Danish seine, the most commonly used fishing gear for live-caught fish, they undergo stressors such as forced swimming, net abrasion, and air exposure. Laboratory experiments (at an air temperature of 9°C and water temperature of 8°C) were conducted with the aim of constructing a RAMP (reflex action mortality predictor) curve for prediction of vitality and survival potential in Atlantic cod captured in Danish seines, by varying the levels of these stressors. Atlantic cod exposed to increased duration in air (5–20 min) showed increased reflex impairment and mortality, with 75% mortality at 10 minutes of air exposure. Forced swimming in combination with net abrasion and air exposure did not increase reflex impairment or mortality above that associated with air exposure alone. The Atlantic cod RAMP curves indicated that fish with reflex impairment less than 50% would not show mortality and would likely recover from capture stress

Some Remarks on IBNR Evaluation Techniques

In this short paper we discuss a new methodology for estimating reserves for IBNR (incurred but not reported) claims.

ADJUSTMENT PROFILES AMONG YOUTH IN DIVERSE CULTURAL CONTEXTS: INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY, AND CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES

Recent literature has noted that not all youth who experience adverse circumstances (e.g. poverty, exposure to violence, maltreatment) end up displaying expected unfavorable outcomes (e.g. academic failure, depression, drug dependence); in fact, some youth display “resilience,” broadly understood as adaptive functioning in the face of adversity (Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). Overall, research on resilience has offered a new approach to the study of at-risk populations, emphasizing the study of strengths, processes, and mechanisms among individuals and communities that may favor positive adaptation, rather than emphasizing deficits among those experiencing adversity (Schoon, 2012). Although resilience research has come a long way, the importance of cultural processes in resilience only recently has been considered, there is still a dearth of studies among diverse contexts and cultural groups (Betancourt et al., 2011), and there is a lack of prospective analyses examining the stability of resilience over time (O’Dougherty et al., 2015). The present study examined the existence of profiles of adjustment among youth who had experienced some kind of adversity in three contexts: (1) Medellin, Colombia (n = 967); (2) Guatemala (n = 2.470); and (3) Chicago, USA (n=491), as well as protective factors associated with profile classification. Furthermore, the continuity of profiles over time was examined in the Chicago sample. Results showed that for each context, diverse profiles of adjustment emerge in the presence of adversity. For all contexts some youth were classified as either resilient (defined as scoring 1 SD above or below the mean on selected indicators) or as holding steady (scoring above the mean but less than 1 SD). Profiles exhibiting high levels of internalizing symptoms, externalizing problems, or problems across domains also were identified across contexts. Protective factors at the individual (e.g. sex, intelligence, prosocial behavior) and at the contextual (e.g. family cohesion, prosocial peers, positive relationship with teacher) levels proved relevant for profile classification, with some factors being relevant in one context but not in another. Prospective analyses revealed both continuity and discontinuity in profile classification among youth in Chicago, with some youth remaining classified in the same group across time points, whereas others transitioned between groups. These results highlight the importance of studying resilience in context, given that what constitutes a salient protective factor for some youth may not be relevant for others. Moreover, these results show that as youth negotiate developmental tasks within their ecologies, there is potential for both continuity and discontinuity in resilience processes. The results can inform prevention and intervention efforts aiming to work from a strength based approach

No “Pobrecito Student”: Translanguaging High-School Science for Academic Language Development

The research questions addressed in this study were: what are the impacts of translanguaging on academic language development? And what are the challenges and successes in implementing translanguaging in highly culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms? Thus, the topics explored in the literature review range from research on academic language development and the teaching and learning of science in high school and the struggles and challenges English Language Learners (ELLs) face when learning then different content areas. The literature review also reveals some of the findings emerging from the implementation of translanguaging in bi/multilingual classrooms. This study involved a cohort of 12 level 5 ELLs from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in an Academic Writing class. Participants were instructed and encouraged to strategically incorporate their home languages through the use of different translanguaging practices in a unit of work on Pollution and Climate Change. Participants were given a pre-test in which they had to write a paragraph describing the environmental issue they could see on a picture using the Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) format. The objective was to observe and examine the impact of translanguaging practices in the classroom and assess the challenges and areas of success. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the impact and growth. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools were used including pre/post-test and observation rubrics, assessments given to students, and the teacher research journal. Data revealed growth in terms of paragraph organization and the complexity and variety of sentences. The results suggest that translanguaging impacted participants’ identity, sense of agency, and participation in class. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed

Commercially Confidential Information - A Reviewed Understanding of the European Disclosure Regime for Medicinal Products

Over the last couple of decades, the European Union has enacted several pieces of legislation to improve insight into its agencies and institutions. This trend has been particularly significant for the pharmaceutical industry, as documents submitted to the EMA in order to have medicinal products approved have been increasingly subjected to public access requirements. Most recently, the 2014 regulation on clinical trials was enacted, which mandates the EMA to set up an online database and proactively publish data from clinical trials. It is expected to become applicable in 2019. The EMA, in an attempt to prepare itself for this paradigm shift, has vastly modified its policies on transparency: More documents than ever before are to be released upon requested access. This thesis studies the legality of these policies and asks whether the EMA exceeds its discretion. The analysis is enabled by the three cases adjudicated by the General Court of the European Union in February 2018, which constitutes the most significant legal source for this thesis. These cases affirmed that the EMA has been correctly applying the old legislation on public access when granting third-party access to toxicology studies, clinical study reports for orphan medicinal products, and CHMP reports on similarity and clinical superiority; the court furthermore implies that this is the correct application of the CTR (once it becomes applicable). Several conclusions can be drawn from the greenlighting of the EMA policies: i) the EMA is correct in assessing requests on a case-by-case basis rather than, as it previously did, presume that access requests to the documents concerned are to be denied; ii) even though none of these documents were treated in their entirety, the General Court has stated that future documents may be, provided that the compilation of publicly accessible and non-publicly accessible information constitutes an “inventive strategy which bequeaths added value to science.” However, such a treatment will most likely be a rarely used exception; iii) the exception for commercially confidential information is to be given a rather narrow interpretation even when taking into account protection of trade secrets in accordance with art. 39 of the TRIPS Agreement