USDA Farm Programs: North Dakota Farmer Participation and Opinions

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Sustainable Agriculture and the Structure of North Dakota Agriculture

Environmental Economics and Policy, Industrial Organization, Production Economics,

Selected Characteristics of North Dakota Farm Families Engaged in Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Critical windows of exposure to household pesticides and risk of childhood leukemia.

The potential etiologic role of household pesticide exposures was examined in the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study. A total of 162 patients (0-14 years old) with newly diagnosed leukemia were rapidly ascertained during 1995-1999, and 162 matched control subjects were randomly selected from the birth registry. The use of professional pest control services at any time from 1 year before birth to 3 years after was associated with a significantly increased risk of childhood leukemia [odds ratio (OR) = 2.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-5.7], and the exposure during year 2 was associated with the highest risk (OR = 3.6; 95% CI, 1.6-8.3). The ORs for exposure to insecticides during the 3 months before pregnancy, pregnancy, and years 1, 2, and 3 were 1.8 (95% CI, 1.1-3.1), 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3-3.5), 1.7 (95% CI, 1.0-2.9), 1.6 (95% CI, 1.0-2.7), and 1.2 (95% CI, 0.7-2.1), respectively. Insecticide exposures early in life appear to be more significant than later exposures, and the highest risk was observed for exposure during pregnancy. Additionally, more frequent exposure to insecticides was associated with a higher risk. In contrast to insecticides, the association between herbicides and leukemia was weak and nonsignificant. Pesticides were also grouped based on where they were applied. Exposure to indoor pesticides was associated with an increased risk, whereas no significant association was observed for exposure to outdoor pesticides. The findings suggest that exposure to household pesticides is associated with an elevated risk of childhood leukemia and further indicate the importance of the timing and location of exposure

“You don’t accept he’s completely ok”:A reflexive thematic analysis of parents’ roles in monitoring their child’s health and symptoms after finishing childhood cancer treatment

Objectives/purpose: Childhood cancer survival brings continued mental and physical health challenges both for the child and for the family. In this study, we investigated how parents viewed their roles in their child’s health and symptom monitoring during the survivorship period. Methods: Twenty-one parents of childhood cancer survivors (n = 18 mothers; parent mage = 49.78 years, child mage = 18.50 years; range = 12–25 years), whose children were at least one year off-treatment (m = 3.67 years; SD = 2.25; various diagnoses), completed semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Analyses generated three themes which reflect roles that parents may adopt in the context of monitoring symptoms in their childhood cancer survivor. “Vigilant Mama and Papa” (theme 1) described parents who expressed a strong sense of responsibility for protecting their child’s health during survivorship resulting in careful monitoring of their child’s symptoms and health. “Pragmatic Mamas and Papas” (theme 2) described parents who adopted an approach to symptom and health monitoring that emphasized moving past cancer and focusing on the future. Finally, “Encouraging Mamas and Papas” (theme 3) described parents who focused on educating and preparing their child to develop an autonomous approach to health and symptom self-monitoring as they transitioned to survivorship and adulthood. Conclusion: Parents take on varying roles in monitoring their child’s symptoms and health after finishing childhood cancer treatment. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Understanding the ways in which parents continue to be involved in their child’s cancer journey helps researchers develop interventions to support dyadic coping in survivorship.</p

Teollisuuden päästödirektiivin (IED) voimaansaattaminen ja muita ympäristönsuojelulain kehittämisajatuksia

Teollisuuden päästöjä koskeva direktiivi (2010/75/EU, IE-direktiivi) tulee voimaan 6.1.2011. IE-direktiivin myötä ympäristönsuojelulakia (YSL) on välttämätöntä uudistaa laaja-alaisesti. Direktiivin yksityiskohtaisen sääntely ja siitä johtuva kansallisen lainsäädännön uudistamistarve johtaa merkittäviin muutoksiin. IE-direktiivi korvaa myös eräät teollisia toimintoja koskevat erityisvaatimukset, joista aiemmin on säädetty omina toimialakohtaisina direktiiveinään. Tärkein muutos IE-direktiivissä on parasta käyttökelpoista tekniikkaa (BAT) koskeva muutos, kun BAT-vertailuasiakirjojen BAT-päätelmiin sisältyvät päästötasot tulevat sitoviksi. Raportissa on hahmoteltu IE-direktiivistä johtuvat muutokset nykyiseen ympäristönsuojelulainsäädäntöömme. IE-direktiivistä johtuvien muutosten tekemisen yhteydessä olisi käytännöllistä uudistaa YSL:ia laajemminkin sekä rakenteellisesti että sisällöllisesti. Raportissa on hahmoteltu erilaisia, muuhun kuin IE-direktiiviin perustuvia YSL:n sisällöllisiä muutoksia – osa on pieniä sanamuodon tarkistuksia ja osa laajempia uudistuksia. Lisätiedot: Neuvotteleva virkamies Sirpa Salo-Asikainen, ympäristöministeriö, [email protected] Tohtorikoulutettava Eeva-Maija Puheloinen, Helsingin yliopisto,  [email protected]

Comparing Competing Theories on the Causes of Mandate Perceptions

The discussion of presidential mandates is as certain as a presidential election itself. Journalists inevitably discuss whether the president-elect has a popular mandate. Because they see elections as too complex to allow the public to send a unitary signal, political scientists are more skeptical of mandates. Mandates, however, have received new attention by scholars asking whether perceptions of mandate arise and lead representatives to act as if voters sent a policy directive. Two explanations have emerged to account for why elected officials might react to such perceptions. One focuses on the President’s strategic decision to declare a mandate, the second on how members of Congress read signals of changing preferences in the electorate from their own election results. We test these competing views to see which more accurately explains how members of Congress act in support of a perceived mandate. The results indicate that members respond more to messages about changing preferences than to the president’s mandate declaration