Clearing the Air: Ordinary Negligence in Take-Home Asbestos Exposure Litigation

Since 2005, take-home asbestos exposure claims have constituted a new wave of asbestos litigation. In contrast to employees exposed to asbestos at a worksite, take-home exposure occurred among those affected by employees who inadvertently carried asbestos home on their clothing or their tools. While some jurisdictions have rejected these claims on the basis that the defendant did not owe a legal duty to the plaintiff, the Washington Court of Appeals recently recognized the potential validity of a household member’s claim for relief for the harm he or she suffered as a result of asbestos exposure. In doing so, the court applied an ordinary negligence test and examined the foreseeability of the harm to the plaintiff as the primary step in determining whether the defendant owed the plaintiff a legal duty. Although the Washington State Supreme Court has no precedent governing take-home asbestos exposure claims specifically, the courts of appeals’ reasoning comports with Washington negligence law. Accordingly, Washington courts should apply this ordinary negligence test in future take-home asbestos exposure cases

Geographic and ecologic distributions of the Anopheles gambiae complex predicted using a genetic algorithm

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.ajtmh.org/content/70/2/105.The distribution of the Anopheles gambiae complex of malaria vectors in Africa is uncertain due to under-sampling of vast regions. We use ecologic niche modeling to predict the potential distribution of three members of the complex (A. gambiae, A. arabiensis, and A. quadriannulatus) and demonstrate the statistical significance of the models. Predictions correspond well to previous estimates, but provide detail regarding spatial discontinuities in the distribution of A. gambiae s.s. that are consistent with population genetic studies. Our predictions also identify large areas of Africa where the presence of A. arabiensis is predicted, but few specimens have been obtained, suggesting under-sampling of the species. Finally, we project models developed from African distribution data for the late 1900s into the past and to South America to determine retrospectively whether the deadly 1929 introduction of A. gambiae sensu lato into Brazil was more likely that of A. gambiae sensu stricto or A. arabiensis

Geographic and ecologic distributions of the *Anopheles gambiae* complex predicted using a genetic algorithm

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 70(2), 2004, pp. 105–109 Copyright © 2004 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 105 http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/70/2/105The distribution of the Anopheles gambiae complex of malaria vectors in Africa is uncertain due to under-sampling of vast regions. We use ecologic niche modeling to predict the potential distribution of three members of the complex (A. gambiae, A. arabiensis, and A. quadriannulatus) and demonstrate the statistical significance of the models. Predictions correspond well to previous estimates, but provide detail regarding spatial discontinuities in the distribution of A. gambiae s.s. that are consistent with population genetic studies. Our predictions also identify large areas of Africa where the presence of A. arabiensis is predicted, but few specimens have been obtained, suggesting under-sampling of the species. Finally, we project models developed from African distribution data for the late 1900s into the past and to South America to determine retrospectively whether the deadly 1929 introduction of A. gambiae sensu lato into Brazil was more likely that of A. gambiae sensu stricto or A. arabiensis

Data Governance Frameworks for Smart Cities: Key Considerations for Data Management and Use

The proliferation of “smart technologies” has created significant opportunities to leverage data to improve everyday life across sectors. In cities around the world, local governments and private enterprises, often partnering together, have launched projects that integrate smart technologies with Internet of Things (“IoT”) capabilities into public spaces in order to promote efficiency, safety, mobility, and innovation. At the same time, smart cities must balance the need for robust data in order to achieve these benefits with public concerns regarding privacy and data use. This paper examines the key attributes of smart cities, the essential role that data plays in fueling smart cities, and the importance of establishing appropriate guidelines to govern the management and use of the massive amounts of data that smart cities generate. This paper refers to such guidelines as “data governance” frameworks. Drawing on case studies from cities in both the U.S. and other countries, the paper discusses trends and challenges in data governance that are impacting the success of smart cities projects. Based on this analysis, the paper outlines key considerations that should be taken into account to develop data governance frameworks that will promote the success of smart cities and the benefits that they bring

A method for statistically comparing spatial distribution maps

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ecological niche modeling is a method for estimation of species distributions based on certain ecological parameters. Thus far, empirical determination of significant differences between independently generated distribution maps for a single species (maps which are created through equivalent processes, but with different ecological input parameters), has been challenging.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe a method for comparing model outcomes, which allows a statistical evaluation of whether the strength of prediction and breadth of predicted areas is measurably different between projected distributions. To create ecological niche models for statistical comparison, we utilized GARP (Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Production) software to generate ecological niche models of human monkeypox in Africa. We created several models, keeping constant the case location input records for each model but varying the ecological input data. In order to assess the relative importance of each ecological parameter included in the development of the individual predicted distributions, we performed pixel-to-pixel comparisons between model outcomes and calculated the mean difference in pixel scores. We used a two sample Student's t-test, (assuming as null hypothesis that both maps were identical to each other regardless of which input parameters were used) to examine whether the mean difference in corresponding pixel scores from one map to another was greater than would be expected by chance alone. We also utilized weighted kappa statistics, frequency distributions, and percent difference to look at the disparities in pixel scores. Multiple independent statistical tests indicated precipitation as the single most important independent ecological parameter in the niche model for human monkeypox disease.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In addition to improving our understanding of the natural factors influencing the distribution of human monkeypox disease, such pixel-to-pixel comparison tests afford users the ability to empirically distinguish the significance of each of the diverse environmental parameters included in the modeling process. This method will be particularly useful in situations where the outcomes (maps) appear similar upon visual inspection (as are generated with other modeling programs such as MAXENT), as it allows an investigator the capacity to explore subtle differences among ecological parameters and to demonstrate the individual importance of these factors within an overall model.</p

Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary; Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical Report; Available at http://sites.bu.edu/cfb/OVERVIEW: Boston is known for its historic iconic buildings, from the Paul Revere House in the North End, to City Hall in Government Center, to the Old South Meeting House in Downtown Crossing, to the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill, to 200 Clarendon (the Hancock Tower) in Back Bay, to Abbotsford in Roxbury. In total, there are over 86,000 buildings that comprise more than 647 million square feet of area. Most of these buildings will still be in use in 2050. Floorspace (square footage) is almost evenly split between residential and non-residential uses, but residential buildings account for nearly 80,000 (93 percent) of the 86,000 buildings. Boston’s buildings are used for a diverse range of activities that include homes, offices, hospitals, factories, laboratories, schools, public service, retail, hotels, restaurants, and convention space. Building type strongly influences energy use; for example, restaurants, hospitals, and laboratories have high energy demands compared to other commercial uses. Boston’s building stock is characterized by thousands of turn-of-the-20th century homes and a postWorld War II building boom that expanded both residential buildings and commercial space. Boston is in the midst of another boom in building construction that is transforming neighborhoods across the city. [TRUNCATED]Published versio

Cómo evitar el genocidio genético: el complejo diálogo entre la comunidad biomédica y el mundo de la discapacidad

La relación entre las comunidades relacionadas con la medicina y la discapacidad es compleja, y está condicionada por factores históricos, sociales y culturales. Aunque los médicos, los investigadores biomédicos y las personas con discapacidad trabajan todos ellos con su vista puesta en el mejor interés de los individuos con discapacidad, el concepto de lo que realmente es “lo mejor” se entiende a menudo de forma muy diferente por parte de todos estos grupos. Las campañas eugenésicas, las restricciones legales sobre la libertad reproductiva y otras libertades, y las recomendaciones de diagnóstico prenatal, expuestas en razón del menor “valor” de las personas con discapacidad, todas ellas han contribuido a crear un trauma histórico que es experimentado por la comunidad relacionada con la discapacidad, especialmente en lo que concierne a la genética médica. Una premisa de la medicina individualizada es que los distintos individuos requieren soluciones distintas. Las experiencias de las personas con discapacidad nos recuerdan que, como mejor se alcanzan estas soluciones, es manteniendo conciencia y sensibilidad dentro del complejo terreno ético y social. Los profesionales de la genética deben caer en la cuenta que su investigación puede tener implicaciones para las personas con discapacidad y deben reconocer el impacto del trauma histórico provocado por el movimiento eugenésico

Teaching Ourselves: A Model to Improve, Assess and Spread the Word

This paper presents a model for small, interdisciplinary groups of faculty to work together to improve their teaching while engaging in research that provides evidence of improved student learning. In doing so, we have developed a four-step process of faculty-driven scholarship of teaching and learning: Genesis, Organization, Implementation and Dissemination. We illustrate this model by describing our use of Fink’s (2003) concepts of course design to reshape our courses and assess the effectiveness of these changes through examination of student learning. We describe how others may follow this approach with a variety of applications

Validation of a Metallomics Analysis of Placenta Tissue by Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Trace elements can play an important role in maternal health and fetal development, and deficiencies in some essential minerals including zinc and copper have been correlated in some individuals to the development of birth defects and adverse health outcomes later in life. The exact etiology of conditions like preeclampsia and the effects of fetal exposure to toxic metals has not been determined, making the assessment of trace element levels crucial to the elucidation of the causes of conditions like preeclampsia. Previous studies analyzing serum and placenta tissue have produced conflicting findings, suggesting the need for a robust, validated sample preparation and analysis method for the determination of trace elements in placenta. In this report, an acid digestion method and analysis by ICP-MS for a broad metallomics/mineralomics panel of trace elements is developed and validated over three experimental days for inter- and intraday precision and accuracy, linear range, matrix impact, and dilution verification. Spike recovery experiments were performed for the essential elements chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn), and the toxic elements arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) at levels equal to and in excess of native concentrations in control placenta tissue. The validated method will be essential for the development of scientific studies of maternal health and toxic metal exposure effects in childhood