Environmental Justice, Community Empowerment, and the Role of Lawyers in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Working together toward a common goal often requires mobilizing the strength and energy of many groups of people, all of whom share the same passion for accomplishing that goal. Hurricane Katrina and its devastating effect on the environment and communities in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast has done exactly that, bringing together numerous coalitions of concerned individuals who share the determination to clean up and improve New Orleans and the Gulf region. This Article addresses how lawyers from around the country can work with local advocates on reconstruction efforts in New Orleans in a way that increases, rather than undermines, community empowerment. While the Article focuses on environmental justice advocacy, it defines the concept broadly with the understanding that adequate housing, opportunities for employment and economic stability, and an effective political voice are just as important as neighborhoods free from toxic pollution

Do Ethical Firms Bridge the Gender Gap in CEO Compensation?

Concern about the gender gap in employee compensation is an important social and business issue. Effective corporate social responsibility requires fair treatment of all employees, regardless of gender. Using a sample of firms that have been noted for their ethical behavior, this study examines whether ethical firms compensate female CEOs comparably to male CEOs. Our sample of ethical firms includes companies listed as one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility (formerly Business Ethics) magazine and with data available in Compustat, CRSP, and ExecuComp for fiscal years 1998-2009. We hypothesize that ethical firms, relative to non-list firms, close (or at least narrow) the gender gap in CEO compensation. Our findings indicate that female CEOs of ethical companies are not penalized for their gender (that is, they do not earn less than their male counterparts)

Subsistence Food Use in Unalaska and Nikolski

The purpose of this project was to document established subsistence use patterns for two Tribes represented by APIA; the Nikolski Tribe and the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska. The APIA Environmental Program, directed by Bob Patrick works with communities in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands region to determine the health impacts posed by the nuclear weapons tests conducted at Amchitka Island, which is in close proximity to the villages of Nikolski and Unalaska. The actual amounts of subsistence foods consumed by individuals in each community that are reported in this document is needed to provide a better understanding of food preferences, attitudes and other determinants of the regional Native diet so that possible risk to radiological dosages can be calculated. To obtain subsistence food consumption data, a food frequency questionnaire was developed by the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies (ICHS) in collaboration with the Alaska Native Health Board through funding from the Agency for Toxic and Substance Disease Registry (ATSDR) via a contract with IDS and ICHS for the Alaska Traditional Diet Project. A preliminary visit was made to Unalaska and Nikolski in the fall of 2002 to have community Elders review the form and to discuss the process of data collection. Incorporating the Elder’s comments, data was collected during July of 2003 with permission from both participating communities. This research was completed money allocated during Round 2 of the Citizens’ Monitoring and Technical Assessment Fund (MTA Fund). Clark University was named conservator of these works. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected]://commons.clarku.edu/aleutian/1000/thumbnail.jp

Probing polyoxometalate-protein interactions using molecular dynamics simulations

The molecular interactions between the Ce(IV)-substituted Keggin anion [PW11O39Ce(OH2)4]3- (CeK) and hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL), was investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We compared the analysis of CeK with the Ce(IV)-substituted Keggin dimer [(PW11O39)2Ce]10- (CeK2) and the Zr(IV)-substituted Lindqvist anion [W5O18Zr(OH2)(OH)]3- (ZrL) in order to understand how POM features such as the shape, the size, the charge or the type of incorporated metal ion influence the POM···protein interactions. Simulations revealed two regions of the protein, in which the CeK anion interacts strongly: the cationic sites formed by Arg21 on one hand and by Arg45 and Arg68 on the other. The two sites can be related with the observed selectivity in the hydrolytic cleavage of HEWL. The POMs chiefly interact with the side chains of the positively charged (arginines and lysines) and the polar uncharged (tyrosines, serines and aspargines) residues via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding with the oxygens of the POM framework. The CeK anion shows higher protein affinity than the CeK2 and ZrL anions, because it is less hydrophilic and it has the right size and shape for stablishing interactions with several residues simultaneously. The larger and more negatively charged CeK2 anion has a high solvent-accessible surface, which is sub-optimal for the interaction, while the smaller ZrL anion is highly hydrophilic and it cannot interact simultaneously with several residues so efficiently

General Principles for the Validation of Proarrhythmia Risk Prediction Models: An Extension of the CiPA In Silico Strategy

This white paper presents principles for validating proarrhythmia risk prediction models for regulatory use as discussed at the In Silico Breakout Session of a Cardiac Safety Research Consortium/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute/US Food and Drug Administration–sponsored Think Tank Meeting on May 22, 2018. The meeting was convened to evaluate the progress in the development of a new cardiac safety paradigm, the Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA). The opinions regarding these principles reflect the collective views of those who participated in the discussion of this topic both at and after the breakout session. Although primarily discussed in the context of in silico models, these principles describe the interface between experimental input and model‐based interpretation and are intended to be general enough to be applied to other types of nonclinical models for proarrhythmia assessment. This document was developed with the intention of providing a foundation for more consistency and harmonization in developing and validating different models for proarrhythmia risk prediction using the example of the CiPA paradigm

Eating disorders in weight-related therapy (EDIT): protocol for a systematic review with individual participant data meta-analysis of eating disorder risk in behavioural weight management

The Eating Disorders In weight-related Therapy (EDIT) Collaboration brings together data from randomised controlled trials of behavioural weight management interventions to identify individual participant risk factors and intervention strategies that contribute to eating disorder risk. We present a protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis which aims to identify participants at risk of developing eating disorders, or related symptoms, during or after weight management interventions conducted in adolescents or adults with overweight or obesity. We systematically searched four databases up to March 2022 and clinical trials registries to May 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials of weight management interventions conducted in adolescents or adults with overweight or obesity that measured eating disorder risk at pre- and post-intervention or follow-up. Authors from eligible trials have been invited to share their deidentified IPD. Two IPD meta-analyses will be conducted. The first IPD meta-analysis aims to examine participant level factors associated with a change in eating disorder scores during and following a weight management intervention. To do this we will examine baseline variables that predict change in eating disorder risk within intervention arms. The second IPD meta-analysis aims to assess whether there are participant level factors that predict whether participation in an intervention is more or less likely than no intervention to lead to a change in eating disorder risk. To do this, we will examine if there are differences in predictors of eating disorder risk between intervention and no-treatment control arms. The primary outcome will be a standardised mean difference in global eating disorder score from baseline to immediately post-intervention and at 6- and 12- months follow-up. Identifying participant level risk factors predicting eating disorder risk will inform screening and monitoring protocols to allow early identification and intervention for those at risk

Food customs of rural and urban Inupiaq elders and their relationships to select nutrition parameters, food insecurity, health, and physical and mental functioning

The Inupiaq Tribe resides north of the Arctic Circle in northwestern Alaska. The people are characterized by their continued dependence on harvested fish, game and plants, known as a subsistence lifestyle (Lee 2000:35-45). Many are suggesting that they leave their historical home and move to urban communities, places believed to be more comfortable as they age. Tribal Elders disagree and have stated, Elders need to be near the river where they were raised (Branch 2005:1). The research questions focused on differences that location had on four groups of variables: nutrition parameters, community support, physical functioning and health. A total of 101 Inupiaq Elders ≥ 50 years were surveyed: 52 from two rural villages, and 49 in Anchorage. Location did not influence energy intake or intake of protein; levels of nutrition risk and food insecurity; all had similar rates between the two groups. Both rural and urban Elders reported few limitations of ADLs and IADLs. Self-reported general health scores (SF-12.v2 GH) were also similar by location. Differences were found with rural Elders reporting higher physical functioning summary scores (SF-12.v2 PCS), higher mental health scores (SF-12.v2 MH), higher vitality and less pain even though the rural mean ages were five years older than the urban Elders. Traditional food customs appear to support the overall health and well being of the rural Inupiaq Elders as demonstrated by higher intakes of Native foods, stronger food sharing networks and higher family activity scores than did urban Elders. The rural community appeared to foster continued physical activity. It has been said that when Elders are in the rural setting they are near people they know and it is a place where they can get their Native food (NRC 2005). These factors appear to be important as Inupiaq Elders age, as rural Inupiaq Elders fared as well or better than Inupiaq Elders in terms of diet, mental and physical health

Retrieval-Based Learning: Positive Effects of Retrieval Practice in Elementary School Children

A wealth of research has demonstrated that practicing retrieval is a powerful way to enhance learning. However, nearly all prior research has examined retrieval practice with college students. Little is known about retrieval practice in children, and even less is known about possible individual differences in retrieval practice. In three experiments, 88 children (mean age 10 years) studied a list of words and either restudied the items or practiced retrieving them. They then took a final free recall test (Experiments 1 and 2) or recognition test (Experiment 3). In all experiments, children showed robust retrieval practice effects. Although a range of individual differences in reading comprehension and processing speed were observed among these children, the benefits of retrieval practice were independent of these factors. The results contribute to the growing body of research supporting the mnemonic benefits of retrieval practice and provide preliminary evidence that practicing retrieval may be an effective learning strategy for children with varying levels of reading comprehension and processing speed