Mental Health, Law School, and Bar Admissions: Eliminating Stigma and Fostering a Healthier Profession

Part II of this Comment explores the current state of mental health in the legal profession and the shortcomings of state bar associations, lawyer assistance programs “LAPs”), and courts applying the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) in combating the profession’s mental health problem. Part III then examines practical steps the profession can take at the law school level that will aid in eliminating the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment in the legal profession, thus addressing the problem at its source

The Policy of Enforcement: Red Light Cameras and Racial Profiling

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1098611115586174We explore the question of whether some of the often conflicting evidence of racial profiling can be cleared up using red light camera observations to measure racial disparities in traffic violations. Using data from cameras at intersections matched to census data, we find that although citations from the red light cameras are issued to a disproportionate number of minorities based on the racial composition of the surrounding location, the racial composition of the violator is consistent with the racial composition of the block group in which they reside. Our study indicates that red light cameras may have a present and future role in assisting public policy makers on issues of racial profiling thresholds

Illuminating whole effluent toxicity testing: ultraviolet radiation, phototoxicity, and PAH-contaminated groundwater

In this study, the acute toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) - contaminated groundwater to Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas were characterized under both ambient laboratory lighting and ambient laboratory lighting supplemented with ultraviolet radiation (UVR) using USEPA Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) test methods. Research has shown the toxicity of some PAHs to aquatic organisms increases significantly in the presence of sunlight or artificial UVR, a phenomenon known as photoactivated toxicity or phototoxicity. Based on these findings, the discharge of PAH-contaminated groundwater to surface waters may be a phototoxic hazard to aquatic organisms. Since WET tests are frequently employed to evaluate the hazards of environmental media, they may provide a standardized means to characterize the toxicity of PAH-contaminants when sunlight is present. However, despite the known interaction of UVR with PAHs, WET protocols do not require the presence of UVR during testing. Under these protocols, the USEPA recommends the use of ambient laboratory lighting (10-20 μE/m2/s or 50-100 ft-c). No recommendations are made for: 1) light source spectral distribution; 2) spectral irradiance levels; 3) presence of UVR; or 4) dose of light over time. The results of phototoxicity studies suggest that the lack of specific guidance for lighting conditions may result in inaccurate estimates of in situ toxicity when photoactive PAHs are present. To evaluate the influence of lighting on groundwater toxicity, acute groundwater toxicity was characterized in this study under the following two light treatments: 1) ambient laboratory lighting; and 2) ambient laboratory lighting plus UVA (320-400 nm) and UVB (280-320 nm). The first treatment was designed to approximate WET test lighting recommendations. The second design was based on measurements of habitat-specific irradiance, and incorporated optical radiation characteristics (UVR) that were more representative of local solar conditions. Results show that the toxicity of PAH-contaminated groundwater increased significantly to D. magna under laboratory lighting supplemented with UVR. Although trends in the P. promelas results suggest greater groundwater toxicity occurred to P. promelas when UVR was present, these trends were not found to be statistically significant. Overall, the study demonstrates that: 1) PAHcontaminated field samples be phototoxic to aquatic organisms; 2) WET testing conditions can induce phototoxicity when laboratory lighting is supplemented with UVR; 3) WET tests can be used to measure the magnitude of acute phototoxic effects; and 4) current WET lighting recommendations can lead to underestimation of sample hazard when phototoxic contaminants are present. The central implication of this study is that WET test estimation of sample toxicity may be improved in some cases by incorporating habitat-specific solar characteristics into current WET testing methodology. Moreover, since this study demonstrates that WET tests can be used to evaluate phototoxic hazards, WET testing methodology may represent a more consistent approach to phototoxicity testing for phototoxicity researchers than what is currently represented in the phototoxicity literature

Measurements of volatile organic compounds using proton transfer reaction ? mass spectrometry during the MILAGRO 2006 Campaign

International audienceVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured by proton transfer reaction ? mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) on a rooftop in the urban mixed residential and industrial area North Northeast of downtown Mexico City as part of the Megacity Initiative ? Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) 2006 field campaign. Thirty eight individual masses were monitored during the campaign and many species were quantified including methanol, acetaldehyde, toluene, the sum of C2 benzenes, the sum of C3 benzenes, acetone, isoprene, benzene, and ethyl acetate. The VOC measurements were analyzed to gain a better understanding of the type of VOCs present in this region of the MCMA, their diurnal patterns and their origins. Diurnal profiles of weekday and weekend/holiday aromatic VOC concentrations show the influence of vehicular traffic during the morning rush hours and during the afternoon hours. Plumes including of elevated toluene as high as 216 parts per billion (ppb) and ethyl acetate as high as 183 ppb were frequently observed during the late night and early morning hours, indicating the probability of significant industrial sources of the two compounds in the region. Wind fields during those peak episodes revealed no specific direction for the majority of the toluene plumes but the ethyl acetate plumes arrived at the site when winds were from the Southwest or West. The PTR-MS measurements combined with other VOC measuring techniques at the field site as well as VOC measurements conducted in other areas of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) will help to develop a better understanding of the spatial pattern of VOCs and its variability in the MCMA

DATA SHARING TO DRIVE THE IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS

Background/Context: Teacher preparation programs (TPPs) face increasing pressure from the federal government, states, and accreditation agencies to improve the quality of their practices and graduates, yet they often do not possess enough data to make evidence-based reforms. Purpose/Objective: This manuscript has four objectives: (a) to present the strengths and shortcomings of accountability-based TPP evaluation systems; (b) to detail the individual-level data being shared with TPPs at public universities in North Carolina; (c) to describe how data sharing can lead to TPP improvement and the challenges that programs will need to overcome; and (d) to detail how three TPPs are using the data for program improvement. Setting: North Carolina public schools and schools of education at public universities in North Carolina. Importantly, this individual-level data sharing system can be instituted among TPPs in other states. Population/Participants/Subjects: Teachers initially-prepared b

Direct simulation of ion beam induced stressing and amorphization of silicon

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, we investigate the mechanical response of silicon to high dose ion-irradiation. We employ a realistic and efficient model to directly simulate ion beam induced amorphization. Structural properties of the amorphized sample are compared with experimental data and results of other simulation studies. We find the behavior of the irradiated material is related to the rate at which it can relax. Depending upon the ability to deform, we observe either the generation of a high compressive stress and subsequent expansion of the material, or generation of tensile stress and densification. We note that statistical material properties, such as radial distribution functions are not sufficient to differentiate between different densities of amorphous samples. For any reasonable deformation rate, we observe an expansion of the target upon amorphization in agreement with experimental observations. This is in contrast to simulations of quenching which usually result in denser structures relative to crystalline Si. We conclude that although there is substantial agreement between experimental measurements and most simulation results, the amorphous structures being investigated may have fundamental differences; the difference in density can be attributed to local defects within the amorphous network. Finally we show that annealing simulations of our amorphized samples can lead to a reduction of high energy local defects without a large scale rearrangement of the amorphous network. This supports the proposal that defects in amorphous silicon are analogous to those in crystalline silicon.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

Examining Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations to Inform Agricultural and Environmental Science Communication: A Meta-synthesis Approach

Agriculturalists and environmentalists must navigate complex challenges as the global population continues to increase and environmental resources are depleted. Colleges of agricultural and environmental sciences are tasked with addressing the nexus between environmental and agricultural challenges through research, education, and communication. However, the amount of research being conducted with both agriculture and the environment considered is largely unknown and, as a result, their corresponding communication messages may not provide coherent messages from the college. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify if research within a college of agricultural and environmental sciences takes a holistic approach so that communication efforts coming from the college can encompass both perspectives. The data were collected from a web-based system containing university research publications and analyzed using a thematic analysis and meta-synthesis. The meta-synthesis revealed 212 codes overlapping agricultural and environmental themes compared to the total 4,325 codes found across all publications. The findings indicated there was a limited amount of collaboration occurring between environmental and agricultural researchers within the college. Without collaborative research, agricultural communicators cannot develop science communication efforts that holistically integrate evidence-based science. As new challenges emerge at the nexus of agriculture and the environment, researchers must shift toward a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to ensure the science communication efforts sharing their findings are inclusive

Measurements of Volatile Organic Compounds Using Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry during the MILAGRO 2006 Campaign

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured by proton transfer reaction – mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) on a rooftop in the urban mixed residential and industrial area North Northeast of downtown Mexico City as part of the Megacity Initiative – Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) 2006 field campaign. Thirty eight individual masses were monitored during the campaign and many species were quantified including methanol, acetaldehyde, toluene, the sum of C2 benzenes, the sum of C3 benzenes, acetone, isoprene, benzene, and ethyl acetate. The VOC measurements were analyzed to gain a better understanding of the type of VOCs present in the MCMA, their diurnal patterns, and their origins. Diurnal profiles of weekday and weekend/holiday aromatic VOC concentrations showed the influence of vehicular traffic during the morning rush hours and during the afternoon hours. Plumes including elevated toluene as high as 216 parts per billion (ppb) and ethyl acetate as high as 183 ppb were frequently observed during the late night and early morning hours, indicating the possibility of significant industrial sources of the two compounds in the region. Wind fields during those peak episodes revealed no specific direction for the majority of the toluene plumes but the ethyl acetate plumes arrived at the site when winds were from the Southwest or West. The PTR-MS measurements combined with other VOC measuring techniques at the field site as well as VOC measurements conducted in other areas of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) will help to develop a better understanding of the spatial pattern of VOCs and its variability in the MCMA. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 467–481, 2009.Robert A. Welch Foundation (Grant A-1417)Texas A & M University. Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and EnvironmentNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (ATM-0528227

Experiencing neutropenia: Quality of life interviews with adult cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Neutropenia is a common toxicity in chemotherapy but detailed information about how neutropenia is associated with changes in patients' quality of life is not readily available. This prospective study interviewed patients with grade 4 neutropenia to provide qualitative information on patients' experience of developing and coping with grade 4 neutropenia during a cycle of chemotherapy. METHODS: A sample of 34 patients who developed grade 4 neutropenia during the first cycle of chemotherapy completed a total of 100 structured clinical interviews. Interviews were transcribed, and 2 raters inductively developed 5 broad categories comprising 80 specific complaint domains nominated by patients. Thirty-five patient-nominated problems were mentioned in 5% or more of the interviews. RESULTS: Fatigue was the most common physical symptom. Interference in daily routine, negative self-evaluation, negative emotion, and social isolation were other common complaints associated with neutropenia. CONCLUSION: Neutropenia is associated with a number of negative experiences among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and these negative experiences have an adverse effect on the patient's quality of life. Oncology nurses can play a key role in helping patients manage adverse effects to maintain their quality of life