Removal of Carcinogens from Drinking Water: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

This study is an analysis is of the costs and benefits of implementing the amendment to the interim primary drinking water regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in January, 1978 (EPA, 1978). Specifically, the study will consider the benefits and costs involved for those water supply systems which would be required to remove organic contaminants by installing granular activated carbon (GAC) as a post-filtration adsorbent

Improving College Access in the United States: Barriers and Policy Responses

Socioeconomic gaps in college enrollment and attainment have widened over time, despite increasing returns to postsecondary education and significant policy efforts to improve access. We describe the barriers that students face during the transition to college and review the evidence on potential policy solutions. We focus primarily on research that examines causal relationships using experimental or quasi-experimental methods, though we draw upon descriptive evidence to provide context. Our review is distinctive in three respects. First, in addition to the literature on financial aid, we examine the evidence on informational and behavioral interventions, academic programs, and affirmative action policies intended to improve college access. Second, we incorporate a wealth of recent research not included in prior reviews. Finally, we conceptualize college access broadly, as including not just whether but also where students attend and whether they have access to college-level courses. We conclude with a discussion of implications for policy and research

Leading a College as a Liberal Arts Practice

A common and rather prevalent model for leading and planning in higher education is a contest of wills optimizing local, current matters. In contrast, at Colby-Sawyer College, we are explicit, careful, and collaborative about working together respectfully on qualitative and institutional and long-term matters. We hope that the model for leadership that we have provided below, one that demonstrates how we make our decisions and conduct our business in a style that differs from academic political business as usual, will serve as a model for other institutions

The religions of Roman Britain

The evidence for Romano-British religion must be examined in the light of four facts: (1) willingness to worship deities of different natures and origins; (2) confusion of similar deities; (3) similarity of ideas of deity throughout the ancient world; (4) localization of deities. Thus a coherent picture of Romano-British religion will be gained. The Britons apparently worshipped numerous localized gods; the nature of some of these can be determined. The British Druids probably worshipped the same pantheon as the Britons generally, but their belief in immortality was perhaps peculiar to them. After the conquest the Roman army found out these deities and worshipped them freely. Most of the Continental Celtic and Germanic deities found in Britain were introduced by the Roman army and were not worshipped by the Britons, though a few were perhaps brought by the Belgae when they migrated to Britain in the first century B.C. Public cults of the emperor and the Roman gods were probably soon established in the chief towns, and there are indications that the country people knew of them, though they did not worship them freely. The army also introduced Oriental cults, but these apparently were hardly adopted by the Britons. Syncretistic worship was also practised mainly by the army, especially the well-educated auxiliary officers; it also appears at Maiden Castle, where there was presumably no military influence. Celtic gods were worshipped by Romans more freely than Roman by Celts, but each side influenced the other. The four facts mentioned above were important in the formation of Romano-British religion, as of provincial religion generally, especially the idea of localization. But the latter caused a diversity of religious cults, while Britain's unity under Roman rule called for religious unity; and this was one reason for the success of Christianity

Student Reflections on Capstone Design: Experiences with Industry-Sponsored Projects

Students are a primary stakeholder in engineering Capstone Design courses, but the student voice risks being overlooked in discussions of Capstone Design pedagogy and development. While many engineering programs collect student feedback and performance data for accreditation purposes, the engineering education and engineering design literature provide few resources that capture student perspectives on Capstone Design, especially across multiple institutions. The 2012 Capstone Design Conference hosted two well-attended panel sessions called ‘‘Student Reflections on Capstone Design’’ specifically to highlight student experiences in Capstone Design courses with industry-sponsored projects. Each panel featured four different panelists who had recently completed their Capstone Design courses, had worked with different industrial sponsors, and represented different institutions and engineering disciplines. The facilitator of each panel asked the same initial questions of the respective panelists and then opened the conversation to questions from the audience. Although the trajectory of the two panels varied, content analysis of the transcribed discussions revealed similar themes from both groups. This paper addresses the analysis methodology, emerging themes, and sample reflections/suggestions from the student panelists. Discussion of the themes and student comments provides a foundation of student perspectives to aid faculty and industry liaisons in strengthening the Capstone Design experience

ADVOCATING FOR ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE RECOVERY: AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL

Adolescents at risk for substance use disorders face unique challenges in recovery when compared with adults. Counselors may seek to address developmental considerations with such clients, but often lack diagnostic and community resources necessary to provide holistic care. The Alternative Peer Group model shows promise in addressing adolescent recovery, however, more research is needed. We conclude from the limited research that has been conducted on APGs that there are positive aspects to consider in implementing this model including a positive peer group that offers support in recovery, 12-step meetings that are adapted specifically for adolescents, parent education and support, and community outreach to other treatment facilities and mental health providers. We also suggest that an important way to advocate for adolescent recovery from substance use disorder is for researchers to continue to conduct rigorous studies on this model as well as other promising recovery support systems for adolescents while recognizing the unique differences between adult and adolescent recovery

Removal of Carcinogens from Drinking Water: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

This study is an analysis is of the costs and benefits of implementing the amendment to the interim primary drinking water regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in January, 1978 (EPA, 1978). Specifically, the study will consider the benefits and costs involved for those water supply systems which would be required to remove organic contaminants by installing granular activated carbon (GAC) as a post-filtration adsorbent

Development of a mouse model for spontaneous oral squamous cell carcinoma in Fanconi anemia

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; Mouse model; Oral mucosaCarcinoma de células escamosas de cabeza y cuello; Modelo de ratón; Mucosa oralCarcinoma de cèl·lules escamoses de cap i coll; Model de ratolí; Mucosa oralFanconi anemia (FA) patients frequently develop oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This cancer in FA patients is diagnosed within the first 3–4 decades of life, very often preceded by lesions that suffer a malignant transformation. In addition, they respond poorly to current treatments due to toxicity or multiple recurrences. Translational research on new chemopreventive agents and therapeutic strategies has been unsuccessful partly due to scarcity of disease models or failure to fully reproduce the disease. Here we report that Fanca gene knockout mice (Fanca-/-) frequently display pre-malignant lesions in the oral cavity. Moreover, when these animals were crossed with animals having conditional deletion of Trp53 gene in oral mucosa (K14cre;Trp53F2-10/F2-10), they spontaneously developed OSCC with high penetrance and a median latency of less than ten months. Tumors were well differentiated and expressed markers of squamous differentiation, such as keratins K5 and K10. In conclusion, Fanca and Trp53 genes cooperate to suppress oral cancer in mice, and Fanca-/-;K14cre;Trp53F2-10/F2-10 mice constitute the first animal model of spontaneous OSCC in FA.This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the projects CB16/12/00228/CIBERONC, PI18/00263 and P121/00208 and co-funded by FEDER and the European Union; and grants from the Spanish Fundacion Anemia de Fanconi and Fanconi Anemia Research Fund USA. J.P. was supported by a FEDER co-funded grant (ref PEJ2018-002040-A) from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. J.O. was supported by a FEDER co-funded grant (ref PEJ-2019-TL_BMD-12905) from the Comunidad de Madrid. The funding sources were not involved in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication

Home garden use during COVID-19:Associations with physical and mental wellbeing in older adults

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of people's lives. Lockdown measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have been more stringent for those aged over 70, at highest risk for the disease. Here, we examine whether home garden usage is associated with self-reported mental and physical wellbeing in older adults, during COVID-19 lockdown in Scotland. This study analysed data from 171 individuals (mean age 84 ± 0.5 years) from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study who completed an online survey approximately two months after lockdown commenced (May/June, 2020), and reported having access to a home garden. The survey also included items on garden activities (gardening, relaxing), frequency of garden usage during lockdown, and measures of self-rated physical health, emotional and mental health, anxiety about COVID-19, and sleep quality. Ordinal regression models were adjusted for sex, living alone, education, occupational social class, anxiety and depressive symptoms, body mass index, and history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Neither gardening nor relaxing in the garden were associated with health outcomes. However, higher frequency of garden usage during lockdown was associated with better self-rated physical health (P = 0.005), emotional and mental health (P = 0.04), sleep quality (P = 0.03), and a composite health score (P = 0.001), after adjusting for covariates. None of the garden measures were associated with perceived change in physical health, mental and emotional health, or sleep quality, from pre-lockdown levels. The results of the current study provide support for positive health benefits of spending time in a garden—though associations may be bidirectional—and suggest that domestic gardens could be a potential health resource during the COVID-19 pandemic