Stop the Integration Principle?

Lord Slynn of Hadley is probably not primarily known as an environmental lawyer. His contributions to the development of European environmental law are, however, considerable. On May 24, 1988, Slynn delivered his famous opinion in the so-called Danish Bottles case. In that case, the European Court of Justice ( ECJ ) held that a system requiring manufacturers and importers to market beer and soft drinks only in reusable containers (which had to be approved by a National Agency for the Protection of the Environment) was subject to what is now article 34 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ( TFEU ) since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force. The importance of this judgment is that it enabled and facilitated the integration of environmental considerations into the market freedoms of the European Community (later the European Union). This Essay, in memory of Lord Slynn of Hadley, is therefore devoted to the process of integrating environmental requirements in other areas

Why Don’t Employers Hire and Retain Workers with Disabilities?

Introduction Despite persistently low employment rates among working-age adults with disabilities, prior research on employer practices and attitudes toward workers with disabilities paints a generally rosy picture of successfully accommodated workers in a welcoming environment. Findings from previous studies might have been biased because of either employer self-selection or social desirability, yielding non-representative or artificially positive conclusions. Methods In this study, a novel approach was used to survey human resource professionals and supervisors working for employers known or reputed to be resistant to complying with the ADA’s employment provisions. Attendees of employer-requested ADA training sessions were asked to assess various possible reasons that employers in general might not hire, retain, or accommodate workers with disabilities and to rate strategies and policy changes that might make it more likely for employers to do so. Results As cited by respondents, the principal barriers to employing workers with disabilities are lack of awareness of disability and accommodation issues, concern over costs, and fear of legal liability. With regard to strategies employers might use to increase hiring and retention, respondents identified increased training and centralized disability and accommodation expertise and mechanisms. Public policy approaches preferred by respondents include no-cost external problem-solving, subsidized accommodations, tax breaks, and mediation in lieu of formal complaints or lawsuits. Conclusions Findings suggest straightforward approaches that employers might use to facilitate hiring and retention of workers with disabilities, as well as new public programs or policy changes that could increase labor force participation among working-age adults who have disabilities

Somatomedin C in dairy cows related to energy and protein supply and to milk production

Somatomedin C and other hormones, as well as blood metabolites, were measured during the dry period and during lactation in dairy cows, given different amounts of energy and protein, to study metabolic and endocrine adaptations. Somatomedin C, specifically measured by radioimmunoassay after separation from its binding protein, did not exhibit typical diurnal variations, in contrast to somatotropin and insulin, which increased particularly after concentrate intake. Somatomedin C markedly decreased at parturition and reached lowest values around the peak of lactation, while levels of somatotropin, nonesterified fatty acids and ketone bodies were high and those of glucose, insulin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine were low. Thereafter somatomedin C values slowly increased up to the 12th week of lactation and remained elevated. Low energy and protein balances were characterized by particularly low somatomedin C concentrations. An additional protein deficit at peak lactation, when cows were already provided with low amounts of energy, did not further decrease somatomedin C levels. However, when high amounts of energy were given in the form of starch or crystalline fat, somatomedin C increased. Overall, there was a positive correlation of somatomedin C primarily with energy, but also with protein balances and a negative correlation with milk yield. Conversely, somatotropin increased markedly after parturition and was positively correlated with milk production and negatively with protein and energy balances. Thus, somatomedin C levels were paradoxically low in the presence of high circulating somatotropin. Insulin most closely paralleled somatomedin C levels. Therefore the anabolic state of metabolism at the end of pregnancy was characterized by high somatomedin C and insulin and relatively low somatotropin, whereas the catabolic state of early lactation was characterized by high somatotropin, low somatomedin C, insulin and thyroid hormone

Personalised electronic messages to improve sun protection in young adults

The incidence of all skin cancers, including melanoma, continues to rise. It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the main environmental risk factor for skin cancer, and excessive exposure at a young age increases the risk of developing skin cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability and feasibility of delivering sun protection messages via electronic media such as short message services (SMS) to people 18-40 years, and explore factors associated with their acceptability. Overall, 80% of participants agreed that they would like to receive some form of sun protection advice; of these, 20% prefer to receive it via SMS and 42% via email. Willingness to receive electronic messages about the UV index was associated with being unsure about whether a suntanned person would look healthy and greater use of sun protection in the past. Careful attention to message framing and timing of message delivery and focus on short-term effects of sun exposure such as sunburn and skin ageing should increase the acceptability of such messages to young people. We conclude that sun protection messages delivered to young adults via electronic media appear feasible and acceptable