Constitutional Law - Interstate Commerce - Dormant Commerce Clause - Municipal Waste Control

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania held that a municipal waste flow control plan violated the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution because the plan required that all municipal waste generated within the municipality for ten years be disposed of at one of three designated sites. Empire Sanitary Landfill v. Department of Envtl. Resources, 684 A2d 1047 (Pa. 1996)

Attitudes of elementary school principals and school board members toward the elementary school

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University

Association of searching for health-related information online with self-rated health in the European Union.

BACKGROUND: The Internet is widely accessed for health information, but poor quality information may lead to health-worsening behaviours (e.g. non-compliance). Little is known about the health of individuals who use the Internet for health information. METHODS: Using the Flash Eurobarometer survey 404, European Union (EU) citizens aged ≥15 (n = 26 566) were asked about Internet utilisation for health information ('general' or 'disease-specific'), the sources used, self-rated health, and socioeconomic variables. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to assess the likelihood of bad self-rated health and accessing different health information sources (social networks, official website, online newspaper, dedicated websites, search engines). RESULTS: Those searching for general information were less likely to report bad health [odds ratios (OR) = 0.80; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.70-0.92], whilst those searching for disease-specific information were more likely (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.07-1.38). Higher education and frequent doctor visits were associated with use of official websites and dedicated apps for health. Variation between EU member states in the proportion of people who had searched for general or disease-specific information online was high. CONCLUSIONS: Searching for general health information may be more conducive to better health, as it is easier to understand, and those accessing it may already be or looking to lead healthier lives. Disease-specific information may be harder to understand and assimilate into appropriate care worsening self-rated health. It may also be accessed if health services fail to meet individuals' needs, and health status is currently poor. Ensuring individuals' access to quality health services and health information will be key to addressing inequalities in health

Associations between active travel and weight, blood pressure and diabetes in six middle income countries: a cross-sectional study in older adults

BACKGROUND: There is little published data on the potential health benefits of active travel in low and middle-income countries. This is despite increasing levels of adiposity being linked to increases in physical inactivity and non-communicable diseases. This study will examine: (1) socio-demographic correlates of using active travel (walking or cycling for transport) among older adults in six populous middle-income countries (2) whether use of active travel is associated with adiposity, systolic blood pressure and self-reported diabetes in these countries. METHODS: Data are from the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) of China, India, Mexico, Ghana, Russia and South Africa with a total sample size of 40,477. Correlates of active travel (≥150 min/week) were examined using logistic regression. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine health related outcomes according to three groups of active travel use per week. RESULTS: 46.4% of the sample undertook ≥150 min of active travel per week (range South Africa: 21.9% Ghana: 57.8%). In pooled analyses those in wealthier households were less likely to meet this level of active travel (Adjusted Risk Ratio (ARR) 0.77, 95% Confidence Intervals 0.67; 0.88 wealthiest fifth vs. poorest). Older people and women were also less likely to use active travel for ≥150 min per week (ARR 0.71, 0.62; 0.80 those aged 70+ years vs. 18-29 years old, ARR 0.82, 0.74; 0.91 women vs. men). In pooled fully adjusted analyses, high use of active travel was associated with lower risk of overweight (ARR 0.71, 0.59; 0.86), high waist-to-hip ratio (ARR 0.71, 0.61; 0.84) and lower BMI (-0.54 kg/m(2), -0.98;- 0.11). Moderate (31-209 min/week) and high use (≥210 min/week) of active travel was associated with lower waist circumference (-1.52 cm (-2.40; -0.65) and -2.16 cm (3.07; -1.26)), and lower systolic blood pressure (-1.63 mm/Hg (-3.19; -0.06) and -2.33 mm/Hg (-3.98; -0.69)). CONCLUSIONS: In middle-income countries use of active travel for ≥150 min per week is more common in lower socio-economic groups and appears to confer similar health benefits to those identified in high-income settings. Efforts to increase active travel levels should be integral to strategies to maintain healthy weight and reduce disease burden in these settings

Impactos das mudanças climáticas sobre a distribuição espacial da podridão cinzenta em videira no Brasil.

Resumo: A podridão cinzenta, causada pelo fungo Botryotinia fuckeliana (Botrytis cinerea), existente em praticamente todos os vinhedos do mundo, causa sérias reduções na qualidade e na quantidade de uva produzida. O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os impactos das mudanças climáticas na favorabilidade de ocorrência da podridão cinzenta da videira no Brasil. Foram utilizadas informações de temperatura média e período de molhamento foliar do período de referência (1961 ? 1990) e do futuro (2011 ? 2040, 2041 ? 2070 e 2071 ? 2100) para o Brasil, dos cenários A2 e B1, organizadas no banco de dados em Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG) Idrisi 32. A favorabilidade foi obtida aplicando-se equações lógicas, de acordo com as condições e restrições de período de molhamento foliar e temperatura média, resultando em mapas de distribuição espacial da podridão cinzenta no Brasil. De modo geral, é esperado um quadro positivo para o futuro, pois as áreas onde a condição para o desenvolvimento da doença era muito favorável diminuem, e as áreas de condição desfavorável apresentam um aumento principalmente durante o inverno. Abstract; The gray mold, caused by the fungus Botryotinia fuckeliana (Botrytis cinerea), which exists in almost all vineyards in the world, causes serious reductions in quality and quantity of grapes produced. The study aimed to evaluate the impacts of climate change on the favorability of occurrence of gray rot of grapevine in Brazil. Information was collected from average temperature and leaf wetness of the reference period (1961 - 1990) and future (2011 - 2040, 2041 - 2070 and 2071 - 2100) for Brazil, organized in the database in a Geographic Information System (GIS) Idrisi 32. The favorability was obtained by applying logic equations, according to the conditions and restrictions of leaf wetness and average temperature, resulting in maps of spatial distribution of gray mold in Brazil. In general, it can be expected a positive picture for the future, because the areas where the condition for the development of the disease was very favorable decreased, and the areas of unfavorable condition showed an increase mainly during the winter