REDUCING RELEASES OF PAHS: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF COAL TAR SEALANT BANS IN THE UNITED STATES

Coal tar based sealants are applied to parking lots, driveways, and playgrounds in order to prevent pavements from deteriorating and cracking. Approximately 85 million gallons of coal tar based sealants are applied annually in the United States. In the mid-2000s scientists discovered that these type of sealants release polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be harmful to human and ecosystem health. After this discovery, dozens of city, county, and state wide bans of the product were put in place. However, some attempts at statewide bans have failed, while others have succeeded. This research examines the factors explaining the difference. These factors are then evaluated in order to suggest ways to improve decision making in other states, as well as at the federal level. Specifically, a comparative case analysis of four coal tar sealant ban bills (in Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, and Maryland) was performed using documentary research, governance mapping, and interviews. Examples of factors influencing the outcomes of these state-level efforts include the participation (or lack of participation) of the state agency responsible for environmental quality, whether any public outreach has been performed, and the degree to which the costs of PAH contamination is accounted for in the law. This case study also provides insight into how state-level efforts to develop environmental policies can serve as a testing ground for efforts at the national level

Alien Registration- Morrison, Margaret (Lewiston, Androscoggin County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/29996/thumbnail.jp

Dimensions Of Theory Acceptance: Methodology And Experiments

Recent arguments for scientific realism have emphasized the importance of both methodological factors, such as theoretical unification (Friedman 1983), and experiments (Cartwright 1983 and Hacking 1983), as evidence for a realistic view of certain aspects of theoretical structure (and entities). Throughout this dissertation I argue that neither strategy is sufficient as a defense of realism.;Chapter one consists of a discussion of Friedman\u27s argument for realism as outlined in his Foundations of Space-Time Theories (Chapter VII). I argue that his reliance on theoretical unification and conjunction as grounds for a selective brand of realism is unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. Not only does his structure-substructure reductivist model of theories and the emphasis on conjunction fail to fit actual cases of theory evolution, but the historical relativity built into the approach is undesirable even from a realist perspective. The relationship between conjunctive inference and unification is discussed and it is suggested that although theoretical unification is desirable at some stages of theory development it contributes nothing to the justification or evidential warrant of theories.;In chapter two my claims regarding unification are applied to the development of Maxwell\u27s electromagnetic theory. I discuss the difficulties in specifying a workable model of the aether as the unifying theoretical structure as well as the importance of models and analogies in Maxwell\u27s work. It is argued that this obvious unification of electromagnetism and optics played virtually no evidential role in the final acceptance of the theory. It was not until the completion of Hertz\u27s experiments that Maxwell\u27s theory was actually vindicated.;Chapter three focuses on the experimental difficulties associated with Maxwell\u27s theory and the relationship between Hertz\u27s experiments and his theoretical interpretation of electromagnetism.;In chapter four I summarize some of the general difficulties associated with the notion of independent evidence as it pertains to experimental results. I conclude by arguing that although experiment provides a more persuasive case for realism than methodological factors, in many instances it fails to provide the kind of epistemological justification required for the realist assumptions about the ontology of scientific theories

Congenital Heart Disease in Down Syndrome

Down syndrome remains the most common chromosomal abnormality in live-born infants in the world today. The association between Down syndrome and congenital heart disease (CHD) is well known, and it is widely recognized that CHD contributes significantly to the morbidity of children with Down syndrome. The reported incidence of CHD in Down syndrome patients is between 40 and 60%. The most commonly described defect is complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), which comprises 30–40% of all cardiac defects. Complex genetic factors are involved. Routine cardiac screening of all newborn babies with Down syndrome is recommended. Expert groups suggest that the cardiac status of all children with Down syndrome should be established by 6 weeks of age to permit appropriate and timely treatment avoiding the establishment of irreversible pulmonary vascular disease that would make corrective surgery impossible

Boundaries and Topological Algorithms

This thesis develops a model for the topological structure of situations. In this model, the topological structure of space is altered by the presence or absence of boundaries, such as those at the edges of objects. This allows the intuitive meaning of topological concepts such as region connectivity, function continuity, and preservation of topological structure to be modeled using the standard mathematical definitions. The thesis shows that these concepts are important in a wide range of artificial intelligence problems, including low-level vision, high-level vision, natural language semantics, and high-level reasoning

Development and Evaluation of Four Week Attachments in General Practice at the University of Glasgow

There is an increasing consensus that a considerable proportion of undergraduate clinical medical education could be shifted into community settings, primarily general practice. This would help to solve many of the difficulties facing hospital teaching of medical students, and enable the aims of the Education Committee of the General Medical Council to be reached more fully. Against this background, it was decided to introduce a compulsory four week attachment in general practice, at the University of Glasgow, for the first time, starting in April 1992, for students undergoing their final clinical rotation. The aims of this thesis are: firstly, to describe the organisation of the attachments, the tutors and practices involved, the course objectives and tasks, the effect of the attachments on student attitudes, and its effect on patient attitudes; secondly, to examine in detail an experiment in problem based learning and an audit project which were used as teaching methods during the attachment and; finally, to evaluate all aspects of the attachments in order to produce recommendations, to improve the future learning opportunities for students. The methods used to complete this research were: detailed postal questionnaires applied to the general practitioner tutors, before and after the attachments, and face-to-face discussions with large groups of tutors; detailed questionnaires applied to the students, at the start and at the end of the attachments, and tape recorded interviews with 25% of the class and; simple questionnaires applied to patients three months before the attachments, immediately before a consultation and immediately after a consultation, where a student was present. 111 [90%] of the tutors, who had expressed an interest in the attachments, replied to an initial questionnaire, before the attachment, and 72 [72%] of those, who taught the course, replied to a follow-up questionnaire, after the attachment. Two hundred students [97.1% of the class] completed an initial student questionnaire, at the start of the attachment, and 190 [92.2%] completed the follow-up questionnaire, at the end. Evaluative questionnaires about the attachment, the problem based learning and the audit project were completed by 89.3%, 65% and 85.6%, respectively, of the students who took part. 25% of the class contributed to semi-structured, tape recorded interviews. 681 patients completed a questionnaire three months before the attachments started. 469 patients completed a questionnaire immediately before a consultation with their general practitioner, where a student would be present, and 759 patients completed a questionnaire immediately after a consultation, where a student was present. It was found that there is a large pool of enthusiastic tutors willing to teach medical students in the community. However, it is recommended that these tutors receive adequate support to enable high standards of clinical teaching to be maintained. The objectives for the attachment were found to be appropriate and it was recommended that the possibility of producing common general objectives, for undergraduate teaching in general practice, should be explored by United Kingdom medical schools. The tasks of the attachment were found to be useful and relevant, and it was possible to produce a profile of the content of an ideal attachment according to student opinion. The attachment promoted a positive attitude among students, towards general practice, and acted as a positive vocational opportunity. However, it is recommended that this cohort of students should be followed up to discover if their stated preference for general practice, as a career, is maintained. Patient opinion was generally favourable towards the presence of medical students in the consulting room. It was therefore recommended that educators in medical schools could be reassured about the case-mix seen in general practice, and general practitioner tutors reassured about the acceptability to patients, of students in the consulting room. The problem based learning group work was a qualified success, according to student opinion. It was therefore recommended that this method of learning should be refined for further use in this course, and its use promoted in United Kingdom medical schools. The audit project increased students' self-reported knowledge about audit but it was recommended that, in order to produce a more Interesting and useful learning experience, the students should be given more ownership of the project in the future. It is further recommended that teaching about audit should be promoted in the general practice setting, in the United Kingdom. The advantages and shortcomings of the methods, which were used to assess the students, are discussed and it is recommended that a more objective measure, such as a modified essay question or an observer structured clinical examination, should be included in the future assessment of students undergoing this attachment. The evaluative information given by the students about their attachment provided evidence that the majority of them enjoyed it very much. They found it useful for learning about general medicine, psychiatry and communication skills, and many of them were impressed by the standard of teaching received. However, they wanted to conduct more personal consultations and practical procedures, and they also suggested improvements to the Department course. Information from this research can be used to shape a course which is responsive to the requirements of Glasgow medical students, the University of Glasgow and the recommendations of the General Medical Council, and to support the shift of more undergraduate medical education into the setting of general practice, in the United Kingdom

Victim Perpetrator Relationship Characteristics and Perceptions of Personal Sexual Assault and Coercion Experiences

Previous research has indicated that victim-perpetrator relationship characteristics may be a significant factor in how experiences of sexual assault and coercion are perceived. However, very little research has investigated how victim-perpetrator characteristics may affect how survivors perceive their own experience of sexual assault and coercion. To explore this, the current study sought to identify how facets of women’s relationships with their perpetrators may influence their perceptions of sexual violence that has occurred within these relationships. A sample of 136 undergraduate students from the University of Windsor and 51 individuals recruited from social media completed measures assessing sexual assault and coercion, blame allocation, emotions relating to the event, relationship investment, and closeness to the perpetrator, as well as qualitative questions. Bivariate correlations, t-tests, Chi-square tests of independence, and logistic regressions were conducted to examine various aspects of the possible relationship between victim-perpetrator relationship characteristics and survivor perceptions. Participants who reported feeling closer to their perpetrator were significant more likely to report both more positive and more negative emotions related to assaultive/coercive experiences. Furthermore, those who had been in serious romantic relationships with their perpetrators reported blaming their perpetrator less and experiencing more positively-valanced emotions relating to the event than those who had been in casual romantic relationships. Those who reported feeling more satisfied also reported more positive emotions, whereas those who were most satisfied and committed reported less self-blame. However, perceptions were not significantly affected by length of relationship, type of relationship, or maintained contact with the perpetrator. Limitations, such as sample size, characteristics, and variable operationalization are discussed, as are possible future directions

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Recurrent Nonspecific Abdominal Pain in Children: An Analysis of Generalization, Maintenance, and Side Effects

From 10% to 15% of school-aged children experience recurring abdominal pain. This study evaluated the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral program for the treatment of nonspecific recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) using a controlled group design. The multicomponent treatment program consisted of differential reinforcement of well behavior, cognitive coping skills training, and various generalization enhancement procedures. Multiple measures of pain intensity and pain behavior were conducted, including children's self-monitoring, parent observation, teacher observation, and observation by independent observers. Results showed that both the experimental and the control groups reduced their levels of pain. However, the treated group improved more quickly, the effects generalized to the school setting, and a larger proportion of subjects were completely pain-free by 3- months follow-up (87.5% vs. 37.5%). There was no evidence for any negative side effects of treatment

A Validated Description of how Crew Manage Flight Operations for Two-Pilot and Reduced Crew Operations

This research provides a rich validated description of how crew manage workload for both two-pilot and reduced crew operations. It outlines flight operations modelling, operational narratives, requirements and scenarios validated with expert advisers from the EU-FP7 ACROSS Project. The crew are considered to be the managers of the operation who receive integrated technical support to help them manage flight operations across of three configurations i.e. 1) standard two-crew configuration, 2) reduced crew under normal operations 3) reduced-crew under non-normal operations developed within the FP7 EU-funded ACROSS (Advanced Cockpit for the Reduction Of Stress and Workload) project