Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Environmental Law

This article reviews the key environmental developments at the federal and state levels during the period from June 1996 to June 1998. Legislation and judicial decisions are presented topically. Certain issues, such as public participation and environmental justice, are playing an increasing role and will likely impact all media

Being a Prison Chaplain in a Godless Country: An Exploration of the Czech Correctional Chaplaincy

Prison chaplaincy, along with religiosity in the criminal justice system, are widely researched in the US (e.g.,Maruna, Wilson, & Curran, 2006; Sundt & Cullen, 1998). The Czech Republic remains one of the most secular countries in the world; about 72% of the population does not identify with any religion or church (Pew Research Center, 2017). The religious landscape in the country lead to prison chaplains being a largely unexplored population, existing in the tension between a total institution and their church. Due to the lack of research concerning this population in the Czech republic, this study aims to examine the position and identify the role of a prison chaplain in the context of Czech prisons.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/gcua_symposium/1009/thumbnail.jp

Analysis of the Caloric and Macronutrient Content of Meal Options Offered to Children at Popular Restaurant Chains

Background: Previous research suggests that consumption of foods from restaurants is associated with poor dietary quality and adverse health outcomes. There are few studies that examine the nutrient content of children’s meal options offered at both sit-down and fast-food chain restaurants. The main objective was to describe the average energy and nutrient profiles of meal options on children’s menus at chain restaurants in the United States (US) and compare them to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Methods: The sample consisted of 13 sit-down and 16 fast-food restaurants ranked within the top 50 US restaurant chains in 2009 (meal nutrient content was accessed in 2010). There were 421 and 275 meal options listed on children’s menus from sit-down and fast-food restaurants, respectively. Descriptive statistics are presented for calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and sodium. Results: In general, nutrient contents of children’s meal options at sit-down and fast-food restaurants were similar. Meal options accounted for large percentages of the recommended daily intakes of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium and small percentages of the recommended daily intakes of fiber, carbohydrate, and protein for children. More than half of children’s meals at these restaurants exceeded recommendations for fat and saturated fat. Conclusions: Children’s meal options at sit-down and fast-food restaurant chains that complied with the US Dietary Guidelines were limited. The majority of the meal options had fat, saturated fat and sodium contents that exceed recommendations, while providing low amounts of fiber

The Surrender to God Scale: Psychometric Validation and Psychological Correlates

(1) Surrender to God (STG), is a construct which quantifies the extent to which an individual willingly relinquishes control to God. (2) An STG scale has been developed, yet remains unvalidated, as it relates to psychological constructs. (3) Utilizing undergraduate participants (N=249), we conducted a psychometric validation of the STG scale, and examined its potential relation with depression, anxiety, stress, and suicide ris

Does an AHEC-sponsored Clerkship Experience Strengthen Medical Students’ Intent to Provide Care for Medically Underserved Patients?

The mission of Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) is to recruit and educate students to serve as practicing health care professionals in rural, primary care, and medically underserved communities. We sought to determine if participation in an AHEC-sponsored family medicine clerkship experiences during medical school are significantly associated with a self-reported intent to practice primary care in a medically underserved environment upon graduation. The study was a prospective cohort study comparing third-year family medicine students with the Indiana University School of Medicine who participated in either an AHEC-sponsored family medicine clerkship to those who completed their required family medicine clerkship outside of the AHEC setting. Following the 160-h clinical clerkship, all students completed a mandatory, electronic survey and were asked to self-report their intent to the following question: “Which of the following statements best describes the impact of the family medicine clerkship on your intention to provide care to underserved patients when you complete residency training?” The question was integrated into a mandatory post-clerkship evaluation form required by the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. A Chi square test of independence as well as a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent association of AHEC clerkship participation and reported intent. A total of 1138 students completed the survey. There were not significant differences in age, gender, race, and ethnicity between students that completed an AHEC clerkship and those that did not. After adjusting for gender, race, and ethnicity, AHEC participants were significantly more likely to report an intention to practice primary care in a medically underserved setting upon graduation. Female students were found to be 1.2–3.4 times as likely to report increased intent compared to male students (95 % CI 1.241–3.394). Participation in an AHEC-supported clerkship was associated with a significant increase in self-reported intent to practice primary care in a medically underserved setting. Additional research is required to determine if participation and/or reported intent are predictive of practice selection after graduation

InnoVoting: How Democracy Is Being Reshaped By Women\u27s Innovative Voting Activism & Candidacy

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Multiple-Methods Needs Assessment of California 4-H Science Education Programming

The California 4-H Science Leadership Team conducted a statewide assessment to evaluate the needs of county-based 4-H programs related to the key areas of the 4-H Science Initiative: program development and design, professional development, curricula, evaluation, partnerships, and fund development. The use of multiple qualitative data sources proved effective in identifying needs and gaps. Integrated findings provided evidence of institutionalization of 4-H Science; the assessment also revealed gaps that represent opportunities for future efforts and directions. Needs identified included intentional and systematic science programming, effective program models, professional development for staff, and consistency in messaging and branding

Initial uptake, time to treatment, and real-world effectiveness of all-oral direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus infection in the United States: A retrospective cohort analysis

BACKGROUND: Data on initiation and utilization of direct-acting antiviral therapies for hepatitis C virus infection in the United States are limited. This study evaluated treatment initiation, time to treatment, and real-world effectiveness of direct-acting antiviral therapy in individuals with hepatitis C virus infection treated during the first 2 years of availability of all-oral direct-acting antiviral therapies. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was undertaken using electronic medical records and chart review abstraction of hepatitis C virus-infected individuals aged >18 years diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus infection between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015 from the Indiana University Health database. RESULTS: Eight hundred thirty people initiated direct-acting antiviral therapy during the 2-year observation window. The estimated incidence of treatment initiation was 8.8%±0.34% at the end of year 1 and 15.0%±0.5% at the end of year 2. Median time to initiating therapy was 300 days. Using a Cox regression analysis, positive predictors of treatment initiation included age (hazard ratio, 1.008), prior hepatitis C virus treatment (1.74), cirrhosis (2.64), and history of liver transplant (1.5). History of drug abuse (0.43), high baseline alanine aminotransferase levels (0.79), hepatitis B virus infection (0.41), and self-pay (0.39) were negatively associated with treatment initiation. In the evaluable population (n = 423), 83.9% (95% confidence interval, 80.1-87.3%) of people achieved sustained virologic response. CONCLUSION: In the early years of the direct-acting antiviral era, <10% of people diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus infection received direct-acting antiviral treatment; median time to treatment initiation was 300 days. Future analyses should evaluate time to treatment initiation among those with less advanced fibrosis

Molecular analysis of endocrine disruption in hornyhead turbot at wastewater outfalls in southern california using a second generation multi-species microarray.

Sentinel fish hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthysverticalis) captured near wastewater outfalls are used for monitoring exposure to industrial and agricultural chemicals of ~ 20 million people living in coastal Southern California. Although analyses of hormones in blood and organ morphology and histology are useful for assessing contaminant exposure, there is a need for quantitative and sensitive molecular measurements, since contaminants of emerging concern are known to produce subtle effects. We developed a second generation multi-species microarray with expanded content and sensitivity to investigate endocrine disruption in turbot captured near wastewater outfalls in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles California. Analysis of expression of genes involved in hormone [e.g., estrogen, androgen, thyroid] responses and xenobiotic metabolism in turbot livers was correlated with a series of phenotypic end points. Molecular analyses of turbot livers uncovered altered expression of vitellogenin and zona pellucida protein, indicating exposure to one or more estrogenic chemicals, as well as, alterations in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A, CYP3A and glutathione S-transferase-α indicating induction of the detoxification response. Molecular responses indicative of exposure to endocrine disruptors were observed in field-caught hornyhead turbot captured in Southern California demonstrating the utility of molecular methods for monitoring environmental chemicals in wastewater outfalls. Moreover, this approach can be adapted to monitor other sites for contaminants of emerging concern in other fish species for which there are few available gene sequences

Defining and Developing Curricula in the Context of Cooperative Extension

Effective curricula are considered to be the cornerstone of successful programming in Extension. However, there is no universal operationalized definition of the term curriculum as it applies to Extension. Additionally, the development of curricula requires a systematic process that takes into account numerous factors. We provide an operational definition of curriculum by describing the parts of a curriculum, discussing the organization of those elements, and recommending theoretical frameworks that complement the learn-by-doing approach used in Extension. We also describe strategies to guide curriculum development, adaptation, and evaluation that will help advance the potential of Extension curricula to achieve their intended outcomes