EPA Pats Itself on the Back

The Environmental Protection Agency's report to Congress on the benefits and costs of the Clean Air Act from 1990 to 2010 is uninformative and unreliable. It considers no regulatory alternatives, overstates likely benefits and understates costs. Successive reviews under the auspices of EPA's Science Advisory Board and the Office of Management and Budget did not prevent these shortcomings. We recommend that Congress should ask for major reviews of regulatory programs only from entities that are independent of the agencies that administer the programs.Environment, Regulatory Reform

Saltcedar Eradication Along the Pecos River in Texas

The Red Bluff Water and Power Control District proposed the Pecos River Ecosystem Project in 1997, to address saltcedar issues along the Pecos River. The initial objectives of the project were to increase efficiency of water delivery in the river to irrigation districts within the Red Bluff District and improve the quality of the water by decreasing the salinity. After four years of herbicide application on the saltcedar, the project has emerged as the first step to what could be important to the overall statewide plan for water conservation along Texas rivers by managing saltcedar infestations

Characterization Of Cutaneous Immune-Related Adverse Events Due To Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been associated with a multitude of immune-related adverse events (irAE), which affect multiple organ systems in the setting of increased immune activation. Cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAE) are among the most common irAE, occurring in up to 50% of patients treated with an ICI. The most common cirAE are maculopapular eruption, pruritus (with or without primary cutaneous eruption), lichenoid dermatitis, eczematous dermatitis, psoriasiform eruption, and vitiligo. cirAE are of concern to oncologists and dermatologists alike, as cirAE can necessitate interruption or discontinuation of life-prolonging therapy. There is a paucity of data regarding cirAE in specific patient populations, including patients with skin of color (SOC) and patients with a prior dermatologic diagnosis. Our primary aim was to characterize the spectrum of ICI-induced cirAE diagnosed and treated by the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic. Our second aim was to characterize cirAE among patients with SOC who were diagnosed and treated by the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic. Our third aim was to characterize cirAE among patients with a history of psoriasis or eczema who were diagnosed and treated by the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic. This retrospective case series included all patients treated with an ICI who were referred to the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic for cirAE. Patients seen for any concern other than cirAE were not included within this cohort. Data collection was performed manually due to lack of appropriate International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes for cirAE. All data was entered into a secure REDCap database. Descriptive analyses and chi-square tests were performed using SPSS Statistics. Aim 1: 287 patients were treated by the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic for cirAE. Within this cohort, mean age was 66 (SD 11), 53% of patients were male, and the most common oncologic diagnoses were non-small cell lung cancer (33%), melanoma (22%), and renal cell carcinoma (8.7%). 338 cirAE were reported, of which the most frequently observed were lichenoid dermatitis (18%) and eczematous dermatitis (15%). Aim 2: Of patients treated by the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic, 31 were included in the SOC cohort based on demographic data. The most common cirAE observed in this cohort were lichenoid dermatitis (22%) and eczematous dermatitis (22%). Aim 3: Of patients treated by the Yale Oncodermatology Clinic, 11 had a history of eczema and 18 had a history of psoriasis. Those with a history of eczema were significantly more likely to develop eczematous dermatitis than controls (43%, versus 12%) and those with a history of psoriasis were significantly more likely to develop psoriasiform dermatitis than controls (56%, versus 6.1%). As ICI become a cornerstone of oncologic therapy, it is critical that the presentation and treatment of cirAE in various patient populations are integrated into dermatologic training

Practice makes Perfect: Shaping Influences on Informal Reading Among Adult Developing Readers

This study of 3 adult literacy learners’ outside class text interactions, indicate that quantity and quality of reading practice may be influenced by the ways prior experiences have helped shape their beliefs and understandings about reading development, access to text, and the nature of family relationships related to learning and literacy

Shaping practice from the top down: The impact of federal legislation on ABE practice

Through case descriptions of twenty-four programs in six states, this study documents the ways in which policy-oriented federal legislation, namely the Workforce Investment Act and Welfare Reform, influences the day to day practices of program administrators and instructors

“I let him set the pace:” Volunteer Tutors’ Perspectives on Teaching in Adult Literacy Programs and Their Implications for Training

This paper reports on the roles that volunteer tutors in one-to-one adult literacy programs adopt with regard to instructional goals and lesson management. It suggests the importance of rethinking tutor training, and raises questions about the importance of instructor role in this adult learning contex

The Role of Preservation in Transplantation

Although it is too early to draw any definite conclusions from these results, as a period of two years is probably necessary to evaluate cadaver kidney transplantation in humans, it appears that our well-matched patients have much fewer problems than our poorly matched patients. It is hoped that by preservation methods such as those discussed, improved methods of tissue typing, and better immunosuppressive therapy, we will be able to raise the survival level of cadaver kidney transplantations to the level between 80 and 85% presently being obtained in transplantations using living, related donors