Chemical Composition of Airborne PM10 Particles from the Salton Sea Playa: Development and Severity of Asthma in Children under 14 in Imperial County

Chemical Composition of Airborne PM10 Particles from the Salton Sea Playa: Development and Severity of Asthma in Children under 14 in Imperial County Maggie Colangelo, Depts. of Communication Arts and Environmental Studies, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College I was prompted to begin this paper after reading about a water transfer agreement which will significantly reduce the water levels of the Salton Sea beginning in January 2018. Concerns over the impact this change would have on local air quality and how air quality changes would affect respiratory health, particularly in children were present in the community. I chose to investigate the validity of these concerns. The recession of the Salton Sea will expose large areas of playa, or lakebed, that has been significantly polluted by the agricultural runoff that feeds the Salton Sea. In order to determine the impact this change may have on the air quality of nearby Imperial Valley and what effect airborne pollutants could have on local respiratory health, I studied journals concerning the predicted levels of dust from the exposed playa. Another important aspect of the dust emitted from the playa is the particle mass PM10, which several journals connected to a decrease in childhood respiratory health. I also explored journals which connected persistent organic pollutants which are commonly used in agriculture to respiratory distress and the development of asthma. I focused on journals which studied the levels of the same pollutants in the Salton Sea sediment as well. From my research, I found that the composition, as well as the particle mass of the dust emitted by Salton Sea playa will have a significant negative impact on the respiratory health and development of asthma in Imperial Valley children. Furthermore, the levels of dust emitted by the Salton Sea are expected to increase dramatically as the sea recedes. Continued research and studies should be conducted on the exact composition of airborne pollutants produced by the sea, and their specific impact on childhood respiratory health and asthma development.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1294/thumbnail.jp

Access to justice in the community courts: a limited right?

This article examines access to the European Court of Justice under Art.230 EC, relating to judicial review, and submits that the approach to locus standi for natural and legal persons under that article is both inconsistent and inappropriate. It is argued that other avenues of redress are often limited, the European Court of Justice has contradicted its own jurisprudence from other areas, the judicial review process has the potential to reduce the Community's democratic deficit, the jurisprudence is out of step with that of Member States and the approach contravenes rights protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The article concludes with proposals for reform of Art.230 EC

Unidisciplinary CPD in a multidisciplinary world: Experiences from practice

Continuing professional development (CPD) has become relevant to all healthcare staff as professional bodies develop processes to revalidate and renew registration based on evidence of lifelong learning and CPD. As a result, the number of practice and professional development groups such as journal clubs, is increasing. Little evidence is available to differentiate between unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary CPD group activities, although by anecdotal reports, the number of unidisciplinary CPD groups appears to be growing. This study aimed to evaluate the value of a unidisciplinary occupational therapy CPD group to its six participants, the multidisciplinary teams in which they worked, and for the service users referred to them. A qualitative approach from a phenomenological perspective was used to explore this previously under-researched area. Triangulation of the data was achieved using postal questionnaires with open questions, the service manager as key informant and a research diary. Four main themes emerged from the inductive analysis: critical evaluation of practice to improve service delivery, improving communication for mutual learning, developing as a discipline with the multi-disciplinary team, and developing clinical skills. The implications of the study both for this uniprofessional group as well as for the multidisciplinary teams in which the occupational therapists worked are discussed, with recommendations made for future practice

The excessive complexity of national marine governance systems - Has this decreased in England since the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009?

With successive Government restructuring and the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act in 2009, this paper revisits a previous set of organograms created in 2006 indicating the government departments with responsibilities relating to the marine and coastal environment in England in 2014. The 2009 Act presented an opportunity to harmonise marine management by simplifying the complexity in England through a radical restructuring of marine governance; however this is apparently not the case with many overlapping responsibilities still existing. This paper provides an overview of the 2009 Act, discussing some of the significant changes like the creation of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), examines the current structure of marine management in England following its enactment and highlights the continued overlaps in jurisdiction, responsibilities and complexity of the government agencies with a marine remit. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd