Environmental Justice: Challenges of Contaminated Site Cleanup in Rural AK

A shorter version of this article appeared on pp. 1–4 of the Summer 2018 print edition.Efforts to clean up contaminated sites from military installations and other sources have been ongoing in Alaska since the 1980s, and new sites continue to be identified. Most Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) properties are in remote locations, placing a disproportionate impact on Alaska Native communities that depend upon environmental resources for their livelihood. Cleanup projects that are begun may take many years to complete due to the complicated nature of each site. Since 1990, over 5,300 sites have been cleanup up; more than 2,200 sites remain open, including military installations (both abandoned and active), bulk fuel storage and gas stations, airports and airfields, maintenance facilities, and oil exploration, transport, and refining facilities.Superfund and FUDS / Multiple projects and parties / FUDS closure but site still open / DEC closed sites vs. open sites / Assessing risk / [Sidebar:] Cleanup in rural Alaska is expensive and complicated / Liability and costs of cleanup / Financing assessment and remediation / Federal funds / Reference

Phenotypic Characterization of the Arabidopsis ufm1 (Ubiquitin Fold Modifier) Gene Involved in Seed Development

Background and Objective: With the completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequencing, the next challenge is the determination ofgene function. Post-translational modifications of proteins by small polypeptide are implicated in plant growth and development.Ubiquitin fold modifier 1 is a member of the ubiquitin like protein family. While, the enzymatic conjugation cascade of ubiquitin foldmodifier 1 has been elucidated in recent years, its biological role is still unknown. The present study focuses in elucidate the role of theufm1 in plants development. Materials and Methods: The researchers performed analyses of the development of wild-type Columbiaplants and mutants of the ubiquitin fold modifier 1 gene to identify and interpret phenotypic changes in plants and seeds. Data werestatistically analyzed with the Info Stat software. Results: In this study, evidence suggesting that ubiquitin fold modifier 1 is involved inthe normal development of the seeds. Conclusion: The ufm1 gene would affect the normal development of the seed, particularly of theembryo, causing high percentage of seed abortion.Fil: Cornejo, Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Masuelli, Ricardo Williams. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; Argentin

Race and Socioeconomic Factors Affect Opportunities for Better Health

Examines racial/ethnic disparities in mortality and diabetes rates and the links between income and health within and across groups. Explores how race/ethnicity affects income at a given education level or socioeconomic conditions at a given income level

The Role Of Social Paradigm In Human Perception And Response To Environmental Change

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2009The role of social paradigms in resilience to change is poorly understood. Past research suggests that social paradigms shape human values through socialization, including those for our environment and alter an individual's attentiveness to information. Thus, there is a relationship among personal cognition, the objective environment, social paradigm, and human behavior, which I posit may affect perception of and response to change, hence human adaptive capacity. The western industrialized dominant social paradigm (WISP) is a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that influence our relationship to the environment. It includes beliefs in continuous economic growth; limited governmental intervention in free market systems; and faith that technology will resolve environmental problems. Past research indicates that the WISP correlates negatively with environmental concern and with belief in the need to change behaviors. In this work, measures for environmental values, the WISP, and environmental behaviors were developed from the General Social Survey and analyzed using mediation. The relationship between WISP, environmental concern and environmental behaviors was tested. Regression analysis suggested that WISP reduces environmental concern, thereby reducing environmental behaviors. The spatial relationship between built environment and environmental values and built environment and the WISP was also investigated. The results suggest that geographic regions with less built environment are significantly more environmentally concerned and have higher values of the WISP. Medium-sized cities exhibited significantly lower values of the WISP. Finally, extensive and diverse literature was reviewed to compare other paradigms affecting the relationship between humans and the biophysical environment. Other paradigms foster links between humans and their environment and also serve the purpose of incorporating ritual, myth and story-telling to conform human behavior to the limits of the biophysical environment rather than conforming the biophysical environment to human desires. Accurate perception of environmental feedback and appropriate responses to change increase resilience. This work suggests that the currently predominant social paradigm may reduce our resilience by impairing our perception of change and our willingness to adapt

Tackling Arithmophobia : Teaching How to Read, Understand, and Analyze Financial Statements

This discussion presents different ideas on how to teach accounting and practical finance to law students

The Role of Medications in Predicting Activity Restriction Due to a Fear of Falling

Objectives: To examine the role of medication use and other factors in predicting activity restriction due to a fear of falling (AR/FF). Methods: Older adults were assessed twice with the interRAI Community Health Assessment and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The main outcome was limiting going outdoors due to an AR/FF. Medications were recorded by trained assessors. Results: Participants (n=441) had a mean age of 80.3 (sd=7.1) years, most were aged 65+ (96.8%) and 29.3% reported activity restriction. Taking nervous system active or cardiovascular medications was associated with AR/FF. In a multivariate model, the main predictors were having 3+ comorbid health conditions, lower (i.e., worse) scores on the BBS, having difficulty with climbing stairs, and having a visual impairment. Discussion: Modifiable risk factors, related to functional impairments, such as difficulties with balance and vision, appear to be more important predictors than medications

The role of genetics in pre-eclampsia and potential pharmacogenomic interventions

The pregnancy-specific condition pre-eclampsia not only affects the health of mother and baby during pregnancy but also has long-term consequences, increasing the chances of cardiovascular disease in later life. It is accepted that pre-eclampsia has a placental origin, but the pathogenic mechanisms leading to the systemic endothelial dysfunction characteristic of the disorder remain to be determined. In this review we discuss some key factors regarded as important in the development of pre-eclampsia, including immune maladaptation, inadequate placentation, oxidative stress, and thrombosis. Genetic factors influence all of these proposed pathophysiological mechanisms. The inherited nature of pre-eclampsia has been known for many years, and extensive genetic studies have been undertaken in this area. Genetic research offers an attractive strategy for studying the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia as it avoids the ethical and practical difficulties of conducting basic science research during the preclinical phase of pre-eclampsia when the underlying pathological changes occur. Although pharmacogenomic studies have not yet been conducted in pre-eclampsia, a number of studies investigating treatment for essential hypertension are of relevance to therapies used in pre-eclampsia. The pharmacogenomics of antiplatelet agents, alpha and beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and magnesium sulfate are discussed in relation to the treatment and prevention of pre-eclampsia. Pharmacogenomics offers the prospect of individualized patient treatment, ensuring swift introduction of optimal treatment whilst minimizing the use of inappropriate or ineffective drugs, thereby reducing the risk of harmful effects to both mother and baby

The utility of a health risk assessment in providing care for a rural free clinic population

BACKGROUND: Free clinics are an important part of our country's health safety net, serving a working poor uninsured population. With limited resources and heavily dependent upon volunteer health care providers, these clinics have historically focused on stopgap, band-aid solutions to the population's health problems. Embracing a new paradigm, free clinics are now prioritizing resources for disease prevention and health promotion. METHODS: We initiated a Healthy Friday Clinic project in a rural, southwest Virginia free clinic. The clinic operated every Friday and was open to all people eligible for care in the free clinic. Each participant completed a 43 question Health Risk Appraisal which was used to calculate current risk age (age as determined by current lifestyle choices), optimal risk age (age with optimal lifestyle choices) and potential risk years gained (current risk age - optimal risk age) as well as a ranked listing of modifiable risk factors. RESULTS: The total sum of potential risk years gained in the free clinic population of 186 subjects was 371.4. Frequency distributions on potential risk years gained by each of the eleven modifiable risk factors revealed the following, in order of impact: quitting smoking could result in a total of 173.5 risk years gained; reducing alcohol consumption, 64.2 years gained; reducing blood pressure, 50.8 years gained; increasing seatbelt use, 38.2 years gained; weight reduction, 24.7 years gained; having regular mammograms, 6.8 years gained; reducing cholesterol levels, 5.8 years gained; reducing frequency of speeding while driving, 3.5 years gained; having regular pap tests, 2.3 years gained; improving HDL levels, 0.9 years gained; and reducing use of smokeless tobacco, 0.8 years gained. Each person received an individualized letter explaining his evaluation along with resources for making changes. DISCUSSION: Health risk assessments play a role in changing health beliefs and behaviors by providing subjects with individualized feedback on how their lifestyle choices impact their health and well-being. Summed data from health risk appraisals can also be a useful tool in determining the allocation of limited health resources. Whether health risk assessments impact health outcomes directly needs to be studied