The (PFAS)T and the Furious: Applying Hazardous Waste Management Frameworks to the Global Presence of PFAS

International treaties governing transboundary hazardous waste are a result of the theory of sustainable development. These conventions have developed over several decades but still lack authority over one of the biggest waste exporters: the United States. As forever chemicals like GenX become a spot- light for future waste regulation, can these conventions project a framework to apply to the currently unregulated chemical that predominantly travels across the Atlantic Ocean between the Netherlands and the United States? This Article seeks to apply various transboundary waste international laws to the market for GenX, identify problems, and propose solutions

Civilian noncombatant’s duty to aid a dying enemy combatant

Does a civilian noncombatant have a duty to aid a wounded or dying enemy combatant she encounters during war? In general it is accepted that there is a universal duty to aid a person in need in emergent life threatening situations. If you see a child drowning in a pond and you are in a position to easily save her, you are required to do so. You are not permitted to simply continue on your way and let the child drown. However, one might think it odd that a noncombatant has the same duty to save the life of an enemy soldier, given that one of the objectives of war is to kill enemy combatants. This paper examines whether or not noncombatants have a duty to aid injured or dying enemy combatants they encounter during war and discusses on what grounds, if any, the duty is defeated

The yin/yang of innovative technology enhanced assessment for promoting student learning

While mo re sophisticated and constructively aligned assessment is encouraged to promote higher level learning, it is easier to assess knowledge and comprehension than critical thinking and making judgements (Bryan & Clegg 2006). Managing the logistics and resource s required for assessing large numbers of students challenges the ethos of placing students at the heart of the learning process and helping them take responsibility for their own learning. The introduction of innovative technology enhanced assessment stra tegies contests our understanding of the purposes of assessment and affords opportunities for more integrated and personalised approa ches to learning and assessment across disciplines. This paper will examine the design, implementation and impacts of inno vative assessment strategies forming an integral part of a collaborative lifeworld - led transprofessional curriculum delivered to cohorts of 600 students in health and social work using technology to connect learners to wide - ranging, humanising perspectives on evidence for guiding practice. Innovative assessment technologies included group blogs, multiple choice electronic or computer assisted assessment (CAA), and an audience response system (ARS) affording combinations of assessment for learning and assess ment of learning. We will explore, through analys es of student assessment experie nces and student and staff evaluations, how these innovative assessment approaches contribute to effective and efficient blended education enabling students to enhance their practice through promoting and developing critical thinking and reflection for judgement - based practice (Polkinghorne 2004) . Secondly, we will debate the yin and yang of contrasting and connecting values associated with the controlled, systematic measurem ent and objectivity of multiple choice assessments, compared with the formative, iterative and subjective nature of reflective blog ging. We will consider relationships between teaching and learning strategies and experiences , breadth and depth of knowledge , passive and active approaches to learning, efficiency and effectiveness, individual and group , multiple choice and discursive assessment s , face - to - face and online, on - campus and off - campus learning and assessment experi e nces

POMHS 9B - ANTIPSYCHOTIC PRESCRIBING IN PEOPLE WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY

Introduction: Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health (POMH-UK) runs national audit-based quality improvement programmes open to all specialist mental health services in the UK to help improve prescribing practice in discrete areas. Aims: The baseline sample and this re-audit represent the largest audits of antipsychotic prescribing in PWLD that have been conducted to date; and thus provide the most generalisable picture of such prescribing nationally. Methodology: A case note audit of use of antipsychotic medication in PWLD was conducted using standard data collection tool provided by POMH-UK. Trust wide, 7 clinical teams in Essex and Bedfordshire & Luton, participated in the re-audit. Analysis and benchmarking was conducted centrally by POMH-UK and an individualised Trust report was compiled by POMH-UK for local review and consideration. Standards: The indication for treatment with antipsychotic medication should be documented in the clinical records (Deb 2006). The continuing need for antipsychotic medication should be reviewed at least once a year (Deb 2006). Side effects of antipsychotic medication should be reviewed at least once a year. This review should include assessment for the presence of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), and screening for the 4 aspects of the metabolic syndrome: obesity, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance and dyslipidaemia (NICE schizophrenia guideline update CG82, 2009). Findings: Out of three standards measured, Standard One maintained 100% throughout the baseline and re-audit and Standard Two achieved over 90% throughout baseline and re-audit. Standard 3 has improved from baseline to re-audit. Overall, there has been clear improvement in all 3 standards from baseline audit

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Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Blood Pressure Among Women in Rural Honduras: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass cookstoves with elevated blood pressure. We assessed cross‐sectional associations of 24‐hour mean concentrations of personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and stove type with blood pressure, adjusting for confounders, among 147 women using traditional or cleaner‐burning Justa stoves in Honduras. We investigated effect modification by age and body mass index. Traditional stove users had mean (standard deviation) personal and kitchen 24‐hour PM2.5 concentrations of 126 μg/m3 (77) and 360 μg/m3 (374), while Justa stove users’ exposures were 66 μg/m3 (38) and 137 μg/m3(194), respectively. BC concentrations were similarly lower among Justa stove users. Adjusted mean systolic blood pressure was 2.5 mm Hg higher (95% CI, 0.7‐4.3) per unit increase in natural log‐transformed kitchen PM2.5 concentration; results were stronger among women of 40 years or older (5.2 mm Hg increase, 95% CI, 2.3‐8.1). Adjusted odds of borderline high and high blood pressure (categorized) were also elevated (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.0‐2.3). Some results included null values and are suggestive. Results suggest that reduced household air pollution, even when concentrations exceed air quality guidelines, may help lower cardiovascular disease risk, particularly among older subgroups

Radio Frequency Nonionizing Radiation in a Community Exposed to Radio and Television Broadcasting

Exposure to radio frequency (RF) nonionizing radiation from telecommunications is pervasive in modern society. Elevated disease risks have been observed in some populations exposed to radio and television transmissions, although findings are inconsistent. This study quantified RF exposures among 280 residents living near the broadcasting transmitters for Denver, Colorado. RF power densities outside and inside each residence were obtained, and a global positioning system (GPS) identified geographic coordinates and elevations. A viewshed model within a geographic information system (GIS) characterized the average distance and percentage of transmitters visible from each residence. Data were collected at the beginning and end of a 2.5-day period, and some measurements were repeated 8–29 months later. RF levels logged at 1-min intervals for 2.5 days varied considerably among some homes and were quite similar among others. The greatest differences appeared among homes within 1 km of the transmitters. Overall, there were no differences in mean residential RF levels compared over 2.5 days. However, after a 1- to 2-year follow-up, only 25% of exterior and 38% of interior RF measurements were unchanged. Increasing proximity, elevation, and line-of-sight visibility were each associated with elevated RF exposures. At average distances from > 1–3 km, exterior RF measurements were 13–30 times greater among homes that had > 50% of the transmitters visible compared with homes with ≤ 50% visibility at those distances. This study demonstrated that both spatial and temporal factors contribute to residential RF exposure and that GPS/GIS technologies can improve RF exposure assessment and reduce exposure misclassification