Bill to Restrict Indoor Tanning for Minors in The State of Maine

Background: Melanoma is the deadliest and the most common type of cancer in individuals age 15 to 29. Evidence has shown that ultraviolet radiation overexposure at younger ages significantly increases the risk of developing non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer in later years. Despite these concerns, approximately 1.6 million minors under the age of 18 participate in the use of indoor tanning devices annually. The high prevalence of skin cancer in the United States continues to be a public health issue that warrants continued preventative and regulatory action. In spite of the health risks associated with indoor tanning, the state of Maine does not restrict the use of tanning devices for minors, as 18 states now do. Therefore, the aim of this DNP project was to implement a health policy change initiative with the goal of restricting access to commercial indoor tanning devices for minors. Methods:The policy process framework and population health framework were used as models for implementing the health policy initiative. The population health framework was used to develop an argument for the public health implications of excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation and provides rationale for restricting UV exposure among minors. The policy process framework was used to guide and evaluate the legislative work of this project. The legislative work was accomplished in collaboration with Maine Representative Anne Perry and other stakeholders. Purpose/Implementation Plan: The purpose of this DNP project was to implement a substantive health policy change, that being the restriction of minors under the age of 18 from the use of commercial indoor tanning devices. The health policy change process included the following steps: 1. Create awareness of long-term health risks of indoor tanning devices among key legislators, constituents, and interest groups, 2. Work with legislators to bring a bill forward to restrict access to indoor tanning devices, 3. Evaluate the process and develop a proposal for sustainable action, if the legislation fails. The overall objective of this initiative was to decrease the risk of skin cancer among Maine’s youth. Results:A proposal for the policy change was presented to stakeholders and was developed in support of the initiative. LD #1297, An Act to Reduce Youth Cancer Risk was introduced through the efforts of the coalition. The first public hearing for LD #1297 was held on April 3, 2019 with the Health and Human Services Committee (HHS) in Augusta, Maine with support from the stakeholders. A work session was held on April 16, 2019 where the bill was voted “ought to pass” 7 to 3 by members of the HHS committee. Conclusion:The population health framework and application of the policy process framework to guide legislative efforts, resulted in greater support for LD #1297 by the HHS committee. Policy engagement to address the upstream causes of disease such as skin cancer is a professional responsibility of doctorally prepared nurse practitioners. This can be achieved by engaging in coalition building and enacting legislative initiatives for public health challenges such as the serious public health threat of indoor tanning by minors. Key Words: skin neoplasms, skin cancer, ultraviolet radiation, indoor tanning, artificial tanning, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanom

A theoretical and flight test study of pressure fluctuations under a turbulent boundary layer. Part 2: Flight test study

The study of pressure fluctuations under a turbulent boundary layer was undertaken with the objective of extending previous work to lower frequencies. Wind tunnel and flight test measurements are invalid at low frequencies because of extraneous acoustic noises and free stream turbulence. A glider was instrumented and used as a test bed to carry microphones into a smooth flow free of acoustic noise. Hodgson had previously measured the spectrum of boundary layer noise on a glider wing. These tests showed a drop off at low frequencies that could not be reproduced in any other facility. The measurements were made on the forward fuselage of a glider where the boundary layer could develop naturally and have some length in a zero pressure gradient before the measurements were made. Two different sets of measurements were made

Oceanographic Controls on the Expression of Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events in the Western Interior Sea

The Cretaceous Period (145-66 Ma) was a time of elevated global temperatures superimposed on fluctuating climate regimes and repeated biotic turnover. It recorded several major perturbations of the carbon cycle, characterized by widespread deposition of organic-rich black shale and benthic and photic zone dysoxia to euxinia, termed oceanic anoxic events (OAEs). The Cenomanian-Turonian OAE2 and the enigmatic Coniacian-Santonian OAE3 are well-preserved in the Western Interior Sea (WIS) of North America. The expression of these OAEs in the WIS differs both from each other and from contemporaneous open-ocean sections. Despite decades of research, questions remain about the role of oceanographic parameters (sea level, water mass source and character, terrestrial runoff, stratification, productivity, circulation) on the development of organic-rich shales and anoxic to dysoxic conditions in the WIS. This study utilizes foraminiferal paleoecology and bulk rock geochemical data to address the question “How did oceanographic changes effect the development of OAEs in the Western Interior?” A transect of sites in Texas is used to understand the connection between the well-studied OAE2 interval of the WIS (Greenhorn Formation) and the open ocean, which appears to have been controlled by a sill at the SE aperture of the WIS that was overcome by rising sea level in the late Cenomanian, ventilating the sea. The poorly understood development of OAE3 in the central Western Interior is studied in the Niobrara Formation in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico and equivalent rocks further west. Foraminiferal trends through this interval show a slow increase in dysoxia prior to the “onset” of OAE3 recorded by other proxies. Above this level, benthic foraminifera disappear and a stressed planktic assemblage remains unchanged for ~3 million years. This suggests a threshold for anoxia that, once exceeded, pushed the WIS into a new equilibrium. Sea level change is the principle control on the redox state of the sea: transgressions are associated with improving oxygenation due to increasing ventilation, and regressions are associated with deteriorating oxygenation and the deposition of organic carbon due to greater stratification. Though anoxic, OAE3 is not an event and should not be regarded as such

Teachers’ Perceptions of Scripted Education

The purpose of my study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of scripted techniques using state mandated standards and the techniques’ impact on student performance. I surveyed the teachers of elementary schools in Edwards County (pseudonym) and found that most teachers are not using the standards as they were originally intended, and they feel that students are falling behind because the standards are not developmentally appropriate

An electrochemical study of hydrogen uptake and elimination by bare and gold-plated waspaloy

Two electrochemical methods for the determination of hydrogen concentrations in metals are discussed and evaluated. The take-up of hydrogen at a pressure of 5000 psi by Waspaloy metal was determined experimentally at 24 C. It was found that the metal becomes saturated with hydrogen after an exposure time of about 1 hr. For samples charged with hydrogen at high pressure, most of the hydrogen is contained in the interstitial solid solution of the metal. For electrolytically charged samples, most of the hydrogen is contained as surface and subsurface hydrides. Hydrogen elimination rates were determined for these two cases, with the rate for electrolytically charged samples being greater by over a factor of two. Theoretical effects of high temperature and pressure on hydrogen take-up and elimination by bare and gold plated Waspaloy metal was considered. The breakthrough point for hydrogen at 5000 psi, determined experimentally, lies between a gold thickness of 0.0127 mm (0.0005 in.) and 0.0254 mm (0.001 in.) at 24 C. Electropolishing was found to greatly reduce the uptake of hydrogen at high pressure by Waspaloy metal at 24 C. Possible implications of the results obtained, as they apply to the turbine disk of the space shuttle main engine, are discussed

Effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on water and acid requirements of soybeans grown in a recirculating hydroponic system

Establishing mass budgets of various crop needs, i.e. water and nutrients, in different environments is essential for the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). The effects of CO2 (500 and 1000 umol mol (exp -1)) on water and acid use (for pH control) by soybeans in a recirculating hydroponic system were examined. Plants of cvs. McCall and Pixie were grown for 90 days using the nutrient film technique (NFT) and a nitrate based nutrient solution. System acid use for both CO2 levels peaked near 4 weeks during a phase of rapid vegetative growth, but acid use decreased more rapidly under 500 compared to 1000 umol mol (exp GR) CO2. Total system water use by 500 and 1000 umol mol (exp -1) plants was similar, leaving off at 5 weeks and declining as plants senesced (ca. 9 weeks). However, single leaf transpiration rates were consistently lower at 1000 umol mol (exp -1). The data suggest that high CO2 concentrations increase system acid (and nutrient) use because of increased vegetative growth, which in turn negates the benefit of reduced water use (lower transpiration rates) per unit leaf area

Estimating Relative Juvenile Abundance of Ecologically Important Finfish and Invertebrates in the Virginia Portion of Chesapeake Bay (Project No. NA03NMF4570378) July 2004–June 2005

The fisheries trawl survey conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is the oldest continuing monitoring program (50 years) for marine and estuarine fishes in the United States. This survey provides a monthly baseline assessment of abundance of juvenile marine and estuarine fishes and invertebrates in the tidal and mainstem Chesapeake Bay. The survey provides crucial, real time data to various state, regional and national fisheries management agencies, including the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). For example, the VIMS Trawl Survey provides the ASMFC with the only spot index available on the East Coast and was the cornerstone for the 2003 ASMFC Spot FMP. The MAFMC recognizes the VIMS Trawl Survey as the only available predictor of summer flounder recruitment.In the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, several annual indices of juvenile abundance have been generated from trawl survey data for species of key ecological, commercial and recreational importance. These include spot, Atlantic croaker, weakfish, summer flounder, black sea bass, scup, striped bass, white perch, catfishes (white, channel and blue), northern puffer, silver perch, blue crab, American eel and bay anchovy.Four different estimates of relative abundance have been developed for juvenile finfish. The Bay and River index (BRI) is only for the historic fixed station transects of the tributaries and the Bay survey established in 1988. Two indices are presented, one from the tributaries only (RO; 1979 to present) and the other for both the Bay and rivers (BRI;1988 to present). Both converted indices (random stratified converted index - RSCI) and unconverted indices (random stratified index - RSI) for the target species discussed have been created for the half century time series.In recent years, juvenile indices for most species have declined, most often a result of overfishing, degradation of their estuarine nursery habitats, and year class failure due to natural environmental variation. For example, spot RSCI indices have declined greatly over the past 50years, with their 1955-1978 indextwice the 1979-2004index.Croaker show the greatest interannual variability of the key species discussed, with fluctuations weather related. There was an increasing trend in weakfish converted indices since 1994, while summer flounder have remained low, most probably due to overfishing and year class failure, which were revealed in the very low 1987 trawl index. The black sea bass index had increased since 1997, but decreasedin 2002 and 2003 to the lowest level in decades. The scup index has been highly variable and decreased in 2003. Striped bass indices were very low during the 1970\u27s and early 1980\u27s, rebounded in the early 1990\u27s and have decreased and remained low since 2001. White perch YOY and age 1+ indices decreased in 2005 from the previous year. White catfish YOY and age 1+ indices decreased from 2004, as did the channel catfish YOY index, while the channel catfish age 1+ index increased slightly in 2004. Blue catfish indices have increased since 2001. Since 1988, northern puffer indices experienced a rapid and continuous decline. The silver perch index has remained consistently low since 1972. Both age 1+ and adult female blue crab indices exhibited significant declines. Both American eel and bay anchovy indices have decreased since the early 1980’s. The Chesapeake Bay is a major nursery area for many coastal migratory fish species and an integral part of multistatemanagement efforts along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. 10INTRODUCTIONA key element in the management of the Atlantic States\u27 coastal fishery resources is the use of juvenile abundance estimates (indices) of important finfish and invertebrates. Relative interannual abundance estimates of early juvenile (age 0) fish and crustaceans (i.e.,blue crab, Callinectes sapidus) generated from scientific (fishery-independent) survey programs provide a reliable and early estimator of future year class strength (Goodyear, 1985; Lipcius and Van Engel, 1990), and may be used to validate management actions. The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC), a federal/state committee sponsored and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reviewed previously available indices of juvenile abundance for important fishery resource species in the Chesapeake Bay (hereafter referred to as “Bay”) and recommended that a unified, consistent trawl program should be one of the primary monitoring tools for finfish and crab stock assessment (Chesapeake Bay Program Stock Assessment Plan, Chesapeake Executive Council, 1988). Subsequently, CBSAC supported pilot studies directed at developing a comprehensive trawl survey for Chesapeake Bay. The primary focus of this support in the Virginia portion of the Bay was the initiation (1988) of a monthly trawl survey of the mainstem lower Bay. This effort complimented and expanded the monthly trawl surveys of the major Virginia tributaries (James, York and Rappahannock Rivers), which had been conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) as part of a long-term monitoring effort to assess the condition of fishery stocks in the lower Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The present sampling program, which includes the Bay and its tributaries, is vital in insuring that data are of sufficient geographic resolution for the generation of annual relative estimates of recruitment success of ecologically, commercially and recreationally important 11finfish and crustacean species. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) 2004 survey for Virginia marine recreational catches were dominated by Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), summer flounderflounder (Paralichthys dentatus), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), striped bass (Morone saxatilis),black sea bass (Centropristis striata), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), and kingfishes (Menticirrhus spp.; Anon., 2004; see Table 1). These are the top species landed by catch (89% of the total catch) and weight (84% of the total weight; Table 1). These species depend upon the lower Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as a nursery area, with all but bluefish highly vulnerable to bottom trawls. In addition to the key species above, past survey results indicate other species of recreational interest, including scup (Stenotomus chrysops), white perch (Morone americana), silver perch(Bairdiella chrysoura), and freshwater catfishes (white, Ictalurus catus, channel, I. punctatus,and blue, Ictalurus furcatus), are taken with sufficient regularity during trawling operations to provide datasets suitable for the generation of juvenile abundance indices. Although generation of annual juvenile (young-of-year or YOY) indices is the primary focus of this project, survey results can be used to address other aspects of finfish population biology, such as habitat utilization, early growth and survival, climate and pollutant interactions, or disease prevalence. For example, climate effects such as hurricanes affect recruitment of shelf spawning species such as Atlantic croaker (Montane and Austin, 2005). Additionally, a high level of hurricane activity is predicted for the Chesapeake Bay for the next 10-40 years (Goldenberg et al., 2001), likely impacting different species abundance and distribution, and consequently multispecies interactions

Effects of living mulch on young vine growth and soil in a semi-arid vineyard

Although the use of under-trellis plants as weed control (living mulch) in vineyards has been gaining popularity, its effects on soil quality and especially soil biology have not been well studied. Due to functional trait differences, plants may differ in how they compete with vines, and may also change abiotic and biotic soil properties. A living mulch trial was established in the semi-arid Okanagan valley of British Columbia comparing vine growth as well as soil abiotic and biotic outcomes for four living mulch treatments: buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides), Chewing's fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. commutata), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), and shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) with two industry standards: herbicide and cultivation. After two seasons, strong vine growth responses were seen that depended on living mulch identity, e.g., reduction in leaf N status with grasses, reduction in leaf water potential with the legume, birdsfoot trefoil. These effects were related to plant-induced changes to soil C:N ratio and soil moisture. Although treatments did not change abundance of the measured fungal guilds in bulk soil, abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in vine roots was lowest with birdsfoot trefoil as living mulch. This study may help growers to select living mulch species appropriate for the soil conditions and resource availability of their site