Public Perceptions of Smoking in the Workplace

Introduction: Important public health policy decisions must be based on reliable epidemiologic studies and evidence-based medicine. In the effort to ban smoking in the workplace, there must be clear evidence from the constituency that such laws are desired. Current Vermont law states: Employers may designate up to 30 percent of an employee cafeteria or lounge as a smoking area and may permit smoking in designated unenclosed areas only if … smoking will not be a physical irritant to any non-smoking employee, and 75 percent of the employees in the designated areas agree to allow smoking. State legislators must address this issue for several reasons: * Long term effects including lung cancer, emphysema, heart and neurologic disease. * Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 chemicals known to be toxic, including more than 50 that can cause cancer. * The total cost of secondhand smoke exposure in the U.S. at $10 billion annually,$5 billion in direct medical costs, and $5 billion in indirect costs such as lost productivity. * Methods to reduce the effect of secondhand smoke, such as ventilators are ineffective. * One study found a 17% increased risk of developing lung cancer with smoking exposure in the workplace. Regardless, Vermonters continue to smoke; as of 2007, 18% of Vermont’s adults were smokers. Such information is important in making legislative decisions that affect the entire Vermont populationhttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1019/thumbnail.jp

A crisis of protection and safe passage: violence experienced by migrants/refugees travelling along the Western Balkan corridor to Northern Europe.

BACKGROUND: Pushed by ongoing conflicts and pulled by the desire for a better life, over one million migrants/refugees transited Balkan countries and arrived in Europe during 2015 and early 2016. To curb this influx, European countries instituted restrictive migration policies often characterized by building of razor-wire border fences and border closures. Among migrants/refugees who received mental health care in Serbia while travelling through Balkan countries to Northern Europe, we assessed the prevalence and patterns of violent events experienced including physical trauma. METHODS: A mixed methods study among migrants/refugees attending mobile mental health clinics run by Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) between July 2015 and June 2016, in Serbia - a main transit hub to European countries. Clinics were conducted according to MSF guidelines by experienced psychologists who were supported by cultural mediators. The main outcome measures were violent events and associated physical trauma. RESULTS: Of 992 migrants/refugees attending MSF mental health clinics, the majority (72%) were from Syria and Afghanistan and included vulnerable groups (14%) such as unaccompanied minors and pregnant women. The most frequent mental health symptoms/signs were anxiety (29%) and adjustment reactions (26%). Of the 992 migrants/refugees, 270 (27%) had experienced violent events during their journey. Signs of physical trauma due to acts of violence were seen in 223(22%) of the 992 individuals, 144 (65%) being perpetrated by State authorities and involving women (11%) and children (13%). Border closures along the Balkan route were associated with a dramatic decrease in registered migrants/refugee arrivals in Serbia. Conversely, among those that made it across the borders, an increasing linear trend in reported violent events was observed at MSF mental health clinics (X2 for linear trend, P <0 · 001). Qualitative evidence corroborated with quantitative findings. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-in-three migrants/refugees seen in MSF clinics experienced violent events including physical trauma along their journey. State authorities, including those in European countries were the perpetrators in over half of such events which were associated with border closures. There is "a crisis of protection and safe passage" which needs to change towards one of respect for the principles of international human rights and refugee law

How acceptable are antiretrovirals for the prevention of sexually transmitted HIV? A review of research on the acceptability of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment as prevention

Recent research has demonstrated how antiretrovirals (ARVs) could be effective in the prevention of sexually transmitted HIV. We review research on the acceptability of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) for HIV prevention amongst potential users. We consider with whom, where and in what context this research has been conducted, how acceptability has been approached, and what research gaps remain. Findings from 33 studies show a lack of TasP research, PrEP studies which have focused largely on men who have sex with men (MSM) in a US context, and varied measures of acceptability. In order to identify when, where and for whom PrEP and TasP would be most appropriate and effective, research is needed in five areas: acceptability of TasP to people living with HIV; motivation for PrEP use and adherence; current perceptions and management of risk; the impact of broader social and structural factors; and consistent definition and operationalisation of acceptability which moves beyond adherence

Comparison between aqueous- and vapor-phase reformation for thermochemical waste heat recovery of engine exhaust gas

Natural gas internal combustion engines release over half of the fuel's energy as waste heat and emit pollution that harms human health and accelerates climate change. Enriching natural gas with hydrogen has been shown to mitigate these impacts by reducing emissions and increasing engine efficiency. Thermal energy in the exhaust gas from natural gas engines can be used to drive chemical reactions to reform a biomass-derived feedstock into a hydrogen-rich gas. This gas can be blended with the primary fuel to enhance combustion and displace some of the natural gas demand. Two types of chemical reformation processes, aqueous-phase reformation (APR) and vapor-phase reformation (VPR), have been identified which can convert a biomass-derived sugar feedstock solution into a hydrogen-rich gas by recovering waste heat from engine exhaust gas. VPR operates at higher temperatures than APR, which limits the amount of heat that can be transferred from the exhaust gas to the reaction temperature. This study used a thermodynamic pinch analysis to compare the performance of these two processes based on their respective process heat demands and the thermal energy available from engine exhaust gas to determine how many moles of feedstock can be reformed. The calculations were performed using specifications for eight natural gas engines with reactor conditions from fourteen APR and ten VPR experiments, using glycerol as a model compound. The results predict that APR will perform better for engines with low exhaust gas temperatures, while VPR will perform better with higher exhaust gas temperatures. With exhaust gas at 873°C, VPR can convert 23% of exhaust gas waste heat into chemical energy while APR can convert 6.0%. With exhaust gas at 385°C, APR can convert 3.4% of exhaust gas waste heat into chemical energy while VPR cannot occur. At high exhaust gas temperatures, VPR is able to convert more waste heat into chemical energy than APR because the high quality heat consumed at the reaction temperature for VPR is used entirely for the heat of reaction. The heat consumed for APR at its reaction temperature is split between the heat of reaction and a heat consumed by water vaporization, thus a portion of the highest quality exhaust heat is consumed by vaporizing water. For APR, the rate at which waste heat can be utilized to reform glycerol is a strong function of reactor pressure. Higher pressures relative to the vapor pressure of water at the reaction temperature require less latent heat, and thus there is more high-quality thermal energy available for the heat of reaction. The rate of chemical energy production for VPR is a strong function of the reaction temperature, where lower reactor temperatures allow more heat to be converted into chemical energy. These results motivate future experimental work with vapor-phase reformation at low reaction temperatures and aqueous-phase reformation at high system pressures to maximize the rate of chemical energy production in this waste heat recovery system.Project (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Environmental Systems: Environmental Resource Engineering, 201

Using Auditory Modalities to Develop Rhythmic Competency in Children\u27s Fundamental Movement Skills

Physical education classrooms often have low levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity levels. This is a problem since many young elementary students are not building a foundation of fundamental movement skills necessary to be lifelong participants in physical activities. This study investigated how elementary physical education teachers used auditory modalities in their classrooms. The research question explored the emergence of rhythmic competency in fundamental movement skills to increase overall moderate to vigorous activity levels. This concurrent, mixed-methods, multiple case study used a constructivist paradigm using the schema and dynamic system theories as the underlying motor system theoretical framework. Two research sites were selected: a suburban Maryland public school system and a private liberal arts college located in the same county. The participants included 21 elementary physical education teachers and 6 physical education or exercise science majors from nationally recognized programs. Data were collected from a focus group, interviews, classroom observations, and a 10-item response Likert style survey designed for elementary physical education teachers to recognize current trends in the field of auditory modalities and rhythmic competency. The data were analyzed to identify auditory modality instructional methods for the emergence of rhythmic competencies. The results consisted of a list of best practices for use such as musical rhythms, verbal cues, and sound cues by physical education teachers and specialists. This research promotes positive social change by providing information for successfully planning interventions in the discipline of motor skill and rhythmic development that can lead to overall increased more-vigorous physical activity