What’s HUD Got to Do With It?: How HUD’s Disparate Impact Rule May Save the Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard

Since 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari three times on the question of whether disparate impact liability is cognizable under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The first two times, the parties settled. The question is before the Court once again in Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., and this time the parties seem unlikely to settle. Disparate impact liability in the civil rights context entails liability for actions that have a discriminatory effect, regardless of an actor’s motive. Under the FHA, this can translate into liability for actions that make housing disproportionately unavailable for persons of a protected class or actions that tend to increase or maintain segregated housing patterns. All eleven federal circuit courts that have addressed the question agree that disparate impact claims are cognizable under the FHA. In addition, in the spring of 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) promulgated a rule that standardizes the burdens of proof for disparate impact claims under the FHA and specifically states for the first time in a formal administrative rule that disparate impact claims are cognizable under the FHA. The promulgation of HUD’s disparate impact rule means that this time around the Supreme Court must give heightened deference to an interpretation of the FHA that authorizes disparate impact claims. This Note argues that despite the near-unanimity of the circuit courts’ interpretation of the FHA, the fate of disparate impact claims under the FHA was anything but certain prior to the promulgation of the HUD rule. The HUD rule makes it much more likely that the FHA disparate impact standard will survive, and this Note argues that it should

Biochar Derived from Cotton Fiber Feedstock: Characterization of Material and Potential for Adsorptive Capacity

Introduction Anthropogenic contaminants in surface waters have increased in complexity as the use of chemicals in all sectors of society has grown [1]. Water scarcity and quality issues will require robust, low-cost, and sustainable solutions. Biochars are particularly compelling as adsorptive solids because they repurpose wastes [2, 3] from other industries and are often carbon neutral, if not carbon negative. Cotton is the most common cellulosic fiber on the global fiber market, and as such, a significant contributor to municipal waste streams [4]. This research investigates the use of undyed, unbleached, 100% cotton muslin fabric as the fuel for making biochar to determine the feasibility of sourcing cotton fabric waste as biochar feedstock

Veterinary Medical School Curriculum in the United Kingdom

For those who have the arduous task of satisfactorily passing courses to obtain the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and for those who have the degree, this article should interest you. The basic educational program a student must complete in the United Kingdom to obtain a veterinary medical degree as follows

Health Disparities in Rural Georgia: A Case Study of Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties

Health disparities can be defined as differences in the health status among distinct segments of the population including differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education, income, disability, or living in various geographic localities. When populations are disproportionately unhealthy, they are likely to be unable to maintain steady employment, and are more likely to rely on government assistance and support from others. We conduct a case study of three rural counties; Liberty, Long, and McIntosh to explore what factors explain the incidence of health disparities manifested in high blood pressure and heart disease. We test the hypotheses that older individuals are more likely to experience illness at a higher rate than the rest of the population. Additionally, educated individuals are more efficient producers of healthy outcomes, and blacks face greater disparities in health outcomes. Using survey data collected from the three counties, we apply logistic regression analysis and confirm the presence of health disparities among older individuals and black men with high blood pressure. Additionally, the presence of high cholesterol can exacerbate the incidence of chronic high blood and heart diseases, and educated women are less likely to have high blood pressure.Health disparities, high blood pressure, heart disease, rural community, logistic model, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Health Economics and Policy, I100, I120, I180,

Fatigue Life and Crack Growth Predictions of Irradiated Stainless Steels

One of prominent issues related to failures in nuclear power components is attributed to material degradation due the aggressive environment conditions, and mechanical stresses. For instance, reactor core support components, such as fuel claddings, are under prolonged exposure to an intense neutron field from the fission of fuel and operate at elevated temperature under fatigue loadings caused by start up, shut down, and unscheduled emergency shut down. Additionally, exposure to highluence neutron radiation can lead to microscopic defects that result in material hardening and embrittlement, which significantly affects the physical and mechanical properties of the materials, resulting in further reduction in fatigue life of reactor structural components. The effects of fatigue damage on material deterioration can be further exacerbated by the presence of thermal loading, hold-time, and high-temperature water coolant environments. In this study, uniaxial fatigue models were used to predict fatigue behavior based only on simple monotonic properties including ultimate tensile strength and Brinell hardness. Two existing models, the Bäumel Seeger uniform material law and the Roessle Fatemi hardness method, were employed and extended to include the effects of test temperature, neutron irradiation fluence, irradiation induced helium and irradiation induced swellings on fatigue life of austenitic stainless steels. Furthermore, a methodology to estimate fatigue crack length using a strip-yield based model is presented. This methodology is also extended to address the effect of creep deformation in a presence of hold- times, and expanded to include the effects of irradiation and water environment. Reasonable fatigue life predictions and crack growth estimations are obtained for irradiated austenitic stainless steels types 304, 304L, and 316, when compared to the experimental data available in the literature. Lastly, a failure analysis methodology of a mixer unit shaft made of AISI 304 stainless steel is also presented using a conventional 14-step failure analysis approach. The primary mode of failure is identified to be intergranular stress cracking at the heat affected zones. A means of circumventing this type of failure in the future is presented

Air quality impact evaluation of a hypothetical fire-fighter training facility

Human Health Risk Assessments (HHRAs) have become a required component in the permitting process for hazardous waste incinerators and boilers and for closure or evaluation of chemical and petroleum facilities. However, although not currently required, these evaluations are also essential for additional daily processes having the potential to adversely impact the environment. One such process includes emissions produced from a firefighter training facility. Firefighter training facilities perform scenarios to enhance the firefighting ability of the trainees. Three typical scenarios conducted at such a facility include air rescue and firefighting, building fire simulation, and propane system fires. During the course of these scenarios, various fuels (e.g., gas, diesel, wood, hay, and propane) are burned, resulting in the release of both uncombusted fuel constituents and other constituents formed during the combustion process (e.g., carbon monoxide and volatile organics). These constituents are potentially transported by air to the surrounding communities where people may come in contact with the constituents. To evaluate the potential health effects of these releases, a multimedia, multipathway HHRA was conducted using the USEPA guidance document, Human Health Risk Assessment Protocol for Hazardous Waste Combustion Facilities (USEPA 1998). This assessment included both direct (inhalation) and indirect pathways of exposure to constituents potentially emitted during the training scenarios. Priority pollutants (i.e., particulate matter, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide) were evaluated in this assessment. Estimated emission rates for the priority pollutants were used to estimate air concentrations that were then compared with their respective National Ambient Air Quality Standard. The results of the HHRA indicated a low potential of increased risk to the surrounding population from the combustion of materials used in the firefighter training scenarios. The highest estimated total excess lifetime cancer risks were 2 in 100 million and 4 in 10 million for the direct and indirect pathways, respectively. These values were substantially less than the USEPA\u27s (USEPA 1998) benchmark of 1 in 100,000 for cancer risks and 0.25 for noncarcinogenic hazards, even when summed over all constituents and scenarios

EFFECTS OF INCREASING PANAMA CANAL TOLL RATES ON U.S. GRAIN EXPORTS

Some believe Panama Canal toll rates will increase dramatically as Panama's sovereignty over the Canal becomes complete at the end of this century. This paper focuses on the ability of Panama Canal management to extract additional toll revenues from United States grain traversing the Canal and the impact of increased toll rates on export grain flows. Analyses show toll rates established by a revenue-maximizing Canal management would exceed historical and current rates. A monopolizing Canal operator would have moderately increased Pacific port exports in the mid-1970Â’s; whereas, in the 1979-82 period, Pacific port flows would have exceeded historical levels.International Relations/Trade,

Effects of choline chloride in canine endotoxin shock

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1634886