Staff development of an experienced head nurse and an inexperienced head nurse by one supervisor through guidance and counseling

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Report on the Benzene Study of 2008-2009

The purpose of this study was to determine whether reducing the amount of benzene in gasoline, which is scheduled to take place in 2011, will effect a change in indoor air benzene levels in Anchorage, Alaska. This is an interim report that discusses the first phase of a two-phase study. The first phase measured benzene levels in homes and garages every month for over one year. Due to the lack of chemical markets, the gasoline refined in Alaska contains 5% or more of benzene. Over the past two decades, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured in Anchorage, Alaska, have had higher concentrations in both indoor and ambient air than most other cities in the United States. Previous studies in Anchorage have shown that attached garages are a significant source of benzene and other VOCs in the living space of homes. In 2007-2008 we conducted a randomized study of houses with attached garages in Anchorage, Alaska, to determine whether there were associated respiratory health risks. We asked the resident owners of these houses to measure the benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in their homes for one week using a passive vapor monitor badge. The results of that study showed that 47% of the houses had indoor-air benzene levels that—if they were maintained throughout the year—would exceed the minimal risk levels for inhalation set by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Sixteen percent of the houses exceeded the acute risk. The results also showed that the BTEX measured in the indoor air came from gasoline fumes. We conducted this second study to determine whether levels found on a single, weekly measurement adequately represented the actual annual exposure in that house. We also wanted to see what the ratio was between levels in the garage and levels in the house since most of the exposure was thought to be coming into the house from the garage. We were also interested in any seasonal variation in the exposure to indoor benzene concentrations. This study would give us that sense of seasonal variability to be able to approximate long-term exposure and to guide future study. We were getting baseline data that could demonstrate the effect of the reduction in benzene in gasoline on the indoor air quality in Anchorage. It is expected that the level of benzene in gasoline will be reduced starting as soon as next year.Municipality of AnchorageIntroduction and Background / Methods / Results and Discussion / Summary and Discussion / Recommendations for the Next Stud

With Pell Grants rising: a review of the contemporary empirical literature on prison post-secondary education

Support for postsecondary correctional education expands and contracts with the dominant political ideology of the times, reflecting the degree of punitiveness in response to crime and criminals. Despite a growing literature demonstrating the efficacy of college education on reducing recidivism and increasing wages and employment, correctional agencies are slow to fully embrace college education for prisoners. In instances where programs are delivered, correctional education is used more as an inmate control mechanism, and less as a tool for successful reintegration post release. Recently, the US. Department of Education has undertaken a bold policy initiative to ease eligibility requirements for some inmates to pursue Pell Grants-a college financial aid program established to provide monetary support to low-income, undergraduate students. This shift in policy provides scholars and practitioners with an opportunity to revisit what is known about postsecondary education for prisoners. Toward that end, this article examines the recent literature on this topic and offers recommendations to advance the research and implementation of such programs

Report on the Benzene Study of 2008-2009

The purpose of this study was to determine whether reducing the amount of benzene in gasoline, which is scheduled to take place in 2011, will effect a change in indoor air benzene levels in Anchorage, Alaska. This is an interim report that discusses the first phase of a two-phase study. The first phase measured benzene levels in homes and garages every month for over one year. Due to the lack of chemical markets, the gasoline refined in Alaska contains 5% or more of benzene. Over the past two decades, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured in Anchorage, Alaska, have had higher concentrations in both indoor and ambient air than most other cities in the United States. Previous studies in Anchorage have shown that attached garages are a significant source of benzene and other VOCs in the living space of homes. In 2007-2008 we conducted a randomized study of houses with attached garages in Anchorage, Alaska, to determine whether there were associated respiratory health risks. We asked the resident owners of these houses to measure the benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in their homes for one week using a passive vapor monitor badge. The results of that study showed that 47% of the houses had indoor-air benzene levels that—if they were maintained throughout the year—would exceed the minimal risk levels for inhalation set by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Sixteen percent of the houses exceeded the acute risk. The results also showed that the BTEX measured in the indoor air came from gasoline fumes. We conducted this second study to determine whether levels found on a single, weekly measurement adequately represented the actual annual exposure in that house. We also wanted to see what the ratio was between levels in the garage and levels in the house since most of the exposure was thought to be coming into the house from the garage. We were also interested in any seasonal variation in the exposure to indoor benzene concentrations. This study would give us that sense of seasonal variability to be able to approximate long-term exposure and to guide future study. We were getting baseline data that could demonstrate the effect of the reduction in benzene in gasoline on the indoor air quality in Anchorage. It is expected that the level of benzene in gasoline will be reduced starting as soon as next year.Municipality of AnchorageIntroduction and Background / Methods / Results and Discussion / Summary and Discussion / Recommendations for the Next Stud

Concluding Reflection: \u27Where Do We Go From Here?\u27

Women and Men in Theological Education

Big Box Backlash: The Stealth Campaign at the World Trade Organization to Preempt Local Control Over Land Use

As communities across the United States and elsewhere are increasingly successful in their effort to limit "big box" store expansion and destructive retail practices through transparent and accountable measures at the local level, Wal-Mart and other retailers have pursued rules at the World Trade Organization (WTO) which threaten to preempt, or at the very least chill, these local laws. These rules are part of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). In 1994, the United States committed retail and wholesale distribution, as well as the hotel and restaurant sectors, to the terms of the GATS, one of 17 Uruguay Round agreements enforced by the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO). The GATS expansive "market access" rules are geared toward facilitating the entry of foreign service providers into the U.S. market by incorporation or acquisition of U.S. firms. These GATS rules forbid limits on the number of services suppliers, as well as measures that would reduce the value of a service transaction or limit the number of employees. Policies containing economic needs tests, like that in the city of Los Angeles for very large retail operations, are explicitly forbidden. Unless the United States takes action to fix this problem in the current round of negotiations, local governments could see challenges to state and local land use laws brought before WTO tribunals, which are empowered to authorize trade sanctions against countries that refuse to conform their domestic policies to WTO dictates. Across the country, state and local officials are working to put laws in place to protect their communities, their environment, their wage base and tax dollars by putting land use limits on "big box" retailers, as well as retail chains and other development projects they deem destructive to the community or the environment or out of step with local needs and planning