Technical Bulletins: Revenue Sharing/Handicapped Regulations

This Technical Bulletin provides information about a notice published by the Office of Revenue Sharing (ORS), regarding regulations pertaining to discrimination on the basis of handicapped status

Technical Bulletins: Filing Requirements for Revenue Sharing Handicapped Regulations

This Technical Bulletin served as a reminder of the October 17, 1984 deadline for completing the Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan required by the Office of Revenue Sharing pursuant to regulations published on October 17, 1983

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL LOOK AT THE LIFE HACKING-ENABLED PRACTICES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH MOBILITY AND DEXTERITY IMPAIRMENTS

Human-computer interaction and assistive technology research and practice are replete with examples of mostly non-disabled individuals trying to empower individuals with disabilities through the design and provision of accessible products. This study asks one overarching question: what can these communities learn from the self-driven embodied experiences of individuals with disabilities who address accessibility, impairment, and everyday life concerns for themselves? The goal of this dissertation is to examine the underexplored adaptation, modification, and design-like activities of individuals with mobility and dexterity impairments as well as the implications of these activities for researchers, designers, and individuals with disabilities. This phenomenological study examined the embodied everyday life practices of 16 individuals with mobility and dexterity impairments as well as well as their efforts to transform disabling practices into enabling ones. Using sensitizing constructs from contemporary social practice theory approaches as described by Andreas Reckwitz and Theodore Schatzki as well Bruno Latour’s articulation of actor-network theory, this interpretive qualitative research study uncovers different ways participants were dis/enabled and dis/empowered in their daily life practices. Findings point to issues most HCI researchers and professional designers rarely consider in their efforts to study access issues and develop accessible technology, including the impact of the embodied perspectives of mostly non-disabled researchers and designers on the everyday life practices of individuals who live with impairments

Technical Bulletins: Maintenance of Effort for Gas Tax Continues

The maintenance of effort provision in the legislation that increased the state gasoline tax in 1985 by three cents remained in effect for the Fiscal Year 1986-87

Technical Bulletins: Street Aid Fund - Separate Fund Requirement May Be Waived

This Technical Bulletin addresses Chapter 173 of the Public A c t s of 1985, which amended Tennessee Code Annotated 54-4-204 to allow the Comptroller of the Treasury to waive the requirement that street aid funds be accounted for in a separate fund

Critical Appraisal Bibliography, Scientific Abstract, and Matrix/Evidence Table

Introduction and Background As chronic and acute pain disorders continue to be diagnosed in the clinical setting, the number of patients searching for medical care in hopes of alleviating their symptoms is on the rise. Working in both medical and psychiatric facilities as a certified nursing assistant, I saw opioids frequently prescribed as a pharmacological treatment for individuals looking to lessen the pain associated with a multitude of pain related disorders. Working in long term care facilities, I watched individuals who had never struggled with substance use disorders develop clinical dependencies on narcotic medication due to the fact that they were prescribed opioids as a means of pain reduction. I watched as individuals who had no prior history of substance abuse or addiction begin to scream in anger and frustration every four hours demanding their medication the second it was available to them after undergoing an event that caused them to experience severe pain (e.g, invasive procedures, falls, etc). Being even a few minutes late to administer their narcotic medication could mean completely destroying a therapeutic rapport with a patient. I saw patients who were previously able to carry out pleasant conversation spending all day in an opioid induced stupor, declining in neurological functioning, and so high from their medication, they were unable to complete ADLs without extensive assistance from a member of the healthcare team. While the patient is not to blame for this phenomenon, as they are just doing what is available to them as treatment for their condition, the healthcare system is doing patients a disservice by not offering alternative forms of pain management for individuals suffering with pain related symptoms. Because of this, we became interested in researching the opioid crisis, how it came to be, and ways that healthcare providers can help to reduce the amount of patients who are forced to deal with clinical dependency and opioid induced debilitation by providing alternative forms of pain management, specifically for individuals experiencing post-operative pain, as it was the most common trigger of pain I saw in the patient populations I have worked with in the clinical setting. Purpose Statement The population we will be researching includes individuals experiencing postoperative pain, who would typically undergo pharmacotherapy with opioids to alleviate their symptoms. The interventions we will be researching include ways that the registered nurse and providers can help reduce their patient’s pain using different forms of alternative pain management that do not include opioid medication. We will be comparing the effectiveness and practicality of opioid therapy to that of other forms of pain management to better understand the ways that patients can work to reduce their pain symptoms in ways that do not include narcotic medication. The way we will evaluate outcomes is by evaluating the current literature surrounding the topic and comparing the results from studies comparing the effectiveness of opioid therapy and the results from alternative forms of pain management. Literature Review In order to research this topic in greater depth, we used google scholar, PubMed, and CINAHL to ensure that each source we used was evidence-based and peer reviewed to the information we gathered was accurate, unbiased, and applicable to the clinical setting. Some databases we utilized included The National Library of Medicine, The Journal of Nursing Regulation, & Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery, all evidence-based and peer-reviewed databases. Luckily, there is an objectively large amount of data existing around the concept of pain management, as it is such a prevalent problem for individuals seeking medical care. Findings After researching forms of alternative pain management for post operative patients, we found three concepts to explore as an alternative to narcotic medication for pain management. These three concepts include: acupuncture therapy, low dose steroid use, and medical cannabis. There is strong evidence to support the effectiveness of these three treatments for managing pain symptoms. While the research on medical cannabis for post operative pain tends to be limited due to legality issues and issues regarding how to correctly dose the drug, there is large evidence to support the effectiveness of cannabis for chronic pain disorders and neuropathy that can result from undergoing surgical procedures. Conclusion After reviewing these three concepts as a form of alternative pain management, we found that there is evidence to support these forms of treatment as a viable alternative to opioid medication, or by implementing these treatments, patients may be able to reduce the amount of opioids it takes to alleviate their pain, reducing their chances of developing side effects or overdosing. There are gaps in the literature regarding cannabis as an effective treatment for acute pain due to complications of researching a schedule one substance, but there is evidence to support cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain issues that can develop from invasive surgical procedures. It is important that nurses are informed about these methods of alternative pain management in order to ensure that their clients are undergoing the best course of care possible if opioids are not a reasonable form of treatment for managing postoperative pain

Statutory Prohibitions on the Negotiation of Insurance Agent Commissions: Substantive Due Process Review Under State Constitutions

In Part I, this Article examines and categorizes the state statutes that prohibit an insurance agent from returning a portion of his commission for the sale of the policy to the consumer. Part II discusses substantive due process\u27 in the state courts. After briefly summarizing the rise and fall of federal substantive due process, this part explores the use of state constitutions as independent constitutional authority in the area of economic regulation. This part concludes that two distinct models of substantive due process analysis exist in the state courts. Part III comments on two recent cases where the validity of a state anti-rebate statute was challenged, and evaluates these holdings in light of the models identified in Part II. Finally, in Part IV, this Article discusses the implication of the alternative substantive due process models for the anti-rebate statutes in other states

Statutory Prohibitions on the Negotiation of Insurance Agent Commissions: Substantive Due Process Review under State Constitutions

In Part I, this Article examines and categorizes the state statutes that prohibit an insurance agent from returning a portion of his commission for the sale of the policy to the consumer. Part II discusses substantive due process\u27 in the state courts. After briefly summarizing the rise and fall of federal substantive due process, this part explores the use of state constitutions as independent constitutional authority in the area of economic regulation. This part concludes that two distinct models of substantive due process analysis exist in the state courts. Part III comments on two recent cases where the validity of a state anti-rebate statute was challenged, and evaluates these holdings in light of the models identified in Part II. Finally, in Part IV, this Article discusses the implication of the alternative substantive due process models for the anti-rebate statutes in other states

Building Social Capital and Community Capacity with Signature Projects: A Case Study of Two Diverse Delta Communities

This article describes action strategies that were planned and implemented by diverse groups of citizens in community development signature projects. Ten values and operating principles to guide successful signature projects are presented. Criteria are presented that Cooperative Extension, regional universities, and community partners can use to plan, fund, implement, and evaluate signature projects that build social capital and community capacity. Signature projects and social capital are defined. The article describes how signature projects worked in small, diverse, rural communities in the Mississippi Delta. The role of signature projects in building social, human capital, and enhancing community capacity is explained

NASA's Space Launch System: A Transformative Capability for Exploration

Currently making rapid progress toward first launch in 2018, NASA's exploration-class Space Launch System (SLS) represents a game-changing new spaceflight capability, enabling mission profiles that are currently impossible. Designed to launch human deep-space missions farther into space than ever before, the initial configuration of SLS will be able to deliver more than 70 metric tons of payload to low Earth orbit (LEO), and will send NASA's new Orion crew vehicle into lunar orbit. Plans call for the rocket to evolve on its second flight, via a new upper stage, to a more powerful configuration capable of lofting 105 tons to LEO or co-manifesting additional systems with Orion on launches to the lunar vicinity. Ultimately, SLS will evolve to a configuration capable of delivering more than 130 tons to LEO. SLS is a foundational asset for NASA's Journey to Mars, and has been recognized by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group as a key element for cooperative missions beyond LEO. In order to enable human deep-space exploration, SLS provides unrivaled mass, volume, and departure energy for payloads, offering numerous benefits for a variety of other missions. For robotic science probes to the outer solar system, for example, SLS can cut transit times to less than half that of currently available vehicles, producing earlier data return, enhancing iterative exploration, and reducing mission cost and risk. In the field of astrophysics, SLS' high payload volume, in the form of payload fairings with a diameter of up to 10 meters, creates the opportunity for launch of large-aperture telescopes providing an unprecedented look at our universe, and offers the ability to conduct crewed servicing missions to observatories stationed at locations beyond low Earth orbit. At the other end of the spectrum, SLS opens access to deep space for low-cost missions in the form of smallsats. The first launch of SLS will deliver beyond LEO 13 6-unit smallsat payloads, representing multiple disciplines, including three spacecraft competitively chosen through NASA's Centennial Challenges competition. Private organizations have also identified benefits of SLS for unique public-private partnerships. This paper will give an overview of SLS' capabilities and its current status, and discuss the vehicle's potential for human exploration of deep space and other game-changing utilization opportunities