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Gender, although gaining attention, remains under‐researched in disaster risk reduction protocols and response and recovery efforts. This study examines women's experiences of two disasters in small towns in the United States, utilising qualitative interviews with residents of Granbury and West, Texas, during the first year of disaster recovery. Granbury was struck by an EF‐4 tornado on 15 May 2013, whereas an explosion occurred at a local fertiliser facility in West on 17 April 2013. The paper explores how women's experiences of inter‐gender power dynamics in decision‐making, the prioritisation of childcare, and women's participation in the community affect their post‐disaster recovery. Previous research highlights different forms of human response and recovery vis‐à‐vis 'natural' and technological disasters, with less attention paid to gender differences. The results point to the persistent, and similar, effect of gender stratification on women's experiences across different types of disasters in the US and the continued importance of gender‐sensitive disaster policies and programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose. Internationalization is expanding its presence in higher education in the United States. Reflecting this trend that includes incorporating global perspectives in the curricula, physical therapist education programmes increasingly offer international opportunities such as International Service-Learning (ISL) to their students. Service-learning, a teaching strategy that integrates community service with structured learning activities, has gained broad acceptance in health professions education including physical therapy, and is therefore the focus of this paper. The specific purposes of this paper were to identify and analyse the commonalities that existed among established ISL programmes within physical therapist education programmes in terms of structures and processes, and to consider its broader implications for physical therapist education. Methods. A descriptive, exploratory study was performed using grounded theory. Snowball and purposive, theoretical sampling yielded 14 faculty members with experience in international service, international learning or ISL in physical therapist education programmes. Faculty were interviewed by phone. Interview transcriptions and course documents were analysed applying grounded theory methodology. Data from eight programmes which met the operational definition of established ISL were used to address the purposes of this paper. Results. Five phases of establishing an ISL programme were identified: development, design, implementation, evaluation, and enhancement. Although no single model exists for ISL in physical therapist education; commonalities in structures and processes were identified in each phase. However, attention to service objectives and outcomes is lacking. Conclusions. While analysis revealed that each programme shared commonalities and demonstrated differences in structures and processes compared with the other programmes, the study demonstrated a general lack of focus on formal community outcomes which raises ethical concerns. Future research and dialogue is warranted to explore ethics and good practice in ISL and other global health initiatives in physical therapy. This study may facilitate reflections and creative solutions by individual faculty and the profession. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview and summary of United States and Canadian federal, state, and provincial laws that offer some form of legal protection for environmental flows. Special attention is given to the new “second generation” law established in Texas and to ways western states are beginning to encourage transactions that help restore dewatered streams. Progress in the eastern states and some Canadian provinces to provide environmental flow protection is addressed. Based on this review, this paper presents recommended elements of a “model” environmental flow policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is geared toward answering the questions of the small to intermediate-sized oil and gas operator, whom does not have the resources to hire an environmental consultant or manager to handle environmental compliance problems. The paper presupposes no prior understanding or familiarity with the applicable environmental laws or regulations. The main objective is to convey, in very concise format, exactly what an oil and gas producer (onshore and/or offshore) needs to do in order to be in compliance with all current federal and state environmental regulations regarding oil spills. Relevant legislation and regulations contained in and resulting from the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the Texas Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act, national, regional, area, and state spill contingency plans, and Texas Railroad Commission regulations are briefly reviewed. This legislation and regulations are summarized in a checklist of seven essential requirements for operators to follow in order to comply with all applicable federal regulations and state regulations specific to Texas. Regulations in other states will vary. Texas is utilized here as an example which is representative of most states in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, the failure to achieve immigration reform at the national level has resulted in numerous responses in local communities that have been most impacted by the settlement of new immigrants. Some of these responses have emerged in suburban communities that have experienced a rapid rise in the foreign-born population during the last twenty years. This essay offers an in-depth analysis of one such community, Farmers Branch, Texas, covered nationally for a series of anti-immigrant ordinances passed by its City Council. Following a description of the history of this community, the growth of its foreign-born population, and the legal manoeuvres to control unauthorized immigration, the essay argues that anti-immigrant legislation in local places like Farmers Branch is at its core a reflection of a debate about and anxiety over American identity -- how it is defined and how it is changing. In particular, these responses are about a perceived threat to middle class status and identity. This is discussed first in relationship to issues of home ownership and income and then, in relation to cultural dimensions of class, including matters of taste and the spatializations of middle class identity. Finally, the paper unpacks the concept of 'rule of law'. By invoking the claim that Americans are law abiding while unauthorized immigrants have broken the law, lawfulness becomes an exclusionary tool and gives those who support anti-immigrant ordinances a platform for legislating a certain quality of life, and de-Americanizing those who do not fit their conceptualization of what it means to be American. Rule of law becomes a weapon in the fight for middle class status and the status quo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texas has the highest mortality from hepatocellular carcinoma in the USA. Because end-stage liver disease mortality is most marked in the Hispanic population in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the aim of the present paper was to estimate the prevalence of end-stage liver disease and associated factors in Brownsville. A cross-sectional study was carried out, abstracting medical charts in a community-based clinic and a hospital. A matched case-control analysis was performed. Cases had an International Classification of Disease (9th revision; ICD9) code 155.0 or 571.0–9 (primary liver cancer or chronic liver disease) recorded; age- and sex-matched controls did not have these codes. A total of 176 cases and 352 controls was collected. The main outcome measure was the prevalence and risk factors for end-stage liver disease. Conservative prevalence of end-stage liver disease: 126/100 000 (386/100 000, male). Eleven out of 176 had hepatocellular carcinoma. Median age was 57 years; 72% male, 94% Hispanic. Among significant risk factors were history of hepatitis (odds ratio (OR): 19.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.0–46.4), any history of alcohol use (OR: 6.6; 95%CI: 4–10.8) and history of illegal drug use (OR: 1.9; 95%CI: 1.2–2.9). Fifteen cases with no known risk factors were classified as cryptogenic cirrhosis. Only four cases out of 176 had been referred for liver transplant. The prevalence of end-stage liver disease in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is extremely high, with no single satisfactory explanation and with acute health disparities. Careful follow up of cryptogenic cirrhosis in this population may or may not lead to a new source of liver disease. © 2004 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that religion continues to be an important identity marker for new immigrants in the United States. However, immigrant groups differ in the ways they integrate religious and ethnic identities and the emphasis they place on each. In this paper, we argue that majority or minority status of their religious affiliation in the home and host countries is an important, but overlooked, factor in understanding strategies concerning religious and ethnic identities. By comparing two Chinese congregations, a Chinese Buddhist temple and a Chinese Christian church in Houston, Texas, we analyze what happens when an immigrant group moves from majority status in the home country to minority status in the United States (Chinese Buddhists) and when a minority group (Chinese Christians in China) become part of the Christian majority in the United States. We conclude by arguing the importance of going beyond U.S. borders and taking into account factors in their home countries in attempts to understand patterns of adaptation of the new immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Energy and environmental questions no longer need to have conflicting perspectives. Solutions to problems in both arenas can satisfy multiple objectives. This paper explores the technical feasibility and economic potential of capturing CO2 from coal- or lignite-fired utility boilers and applying the CO2 to enhance oil recovery in the mature oil provinces of Texas. This capture accomplishes two goals: sequestering a substantial amount of CO2 for an extended period and increasing the efficiency of oil recovery. Previous research has indicated that a primary target of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is estimated at 74 billion stock-tank barrels (BSTB) of residual oil. The present study finds that 8 BSTB of this resource is within a 145-km (90-mile) radius of the candidate coal- or lignite-fired plants in Texas. Modeling conducted in this study indicates that CO2 flooding can produce oil that would otherwise not be recovered, at an incremental cost of between $6.00 and $16.00/STB. In addition, probably between 12 and 20 years of CO2 production from the candidate lignite- or coal-fired boilers can be sequestered from these generation facilities. Preliminary analyses indicate that CO2 capture for lignite- and coal-fired plants in Texas may be cost-effective when compared with fuel switching these same boilers to natural gas. From a policy standpoint, it may be desirable to encourage CO2 capture retrofit initially, as opposed to fuel switching, because the former results in overall lower levels of CO2 emissions at a comparable cost. In conclusion, there is substantial potential for using utility plant boiler effluent as a CO2 supply source for flooding and using mature oil reservoirs for CO2 sequestration. Development of this potential resource base may be facilitated by further research and regulatory initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Geographers are in a special position to comment on the role of neighbourhood representations in the marginalisation of urban minorities. This paper examines the impact of representations of place on the production of inner-city youth identifies. It argues that the spatial scale of representation is a crucial element in the production of marginal identity, and investigates whether switching scale is a viable option for escaping this identity. Linking the concepts of structure and agency to the notions of ideology and identity, it applies a theoretical argument to empirical contexts of representation and identity formation. Results from semi-structured interviews with local youths and institutional administrators in an inner-city neighbourhood of San Antonio, Texas, illustrate how place- and scale-particular ideologies intervene in processes of youth identity formation. While overlying scales of place enables the social exclusion of youths, jumping scales does not empower individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we utilize GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping data to locate eleven immigrant congregations and the residential addresses of their members in Houston. Texas combining this information with ethnographic data allows us to understand how ecological variables impact organizational characteristics of religious institutions Specifically, we combine GZS and ethnographic data on immigrant congregations in Houston, Texas, to analyze characteristics that make them more part th or niche-like in structure We demonstrate that the combination of GIS techniques and standard field methods yields the greatest potential to provide a comprehensive understanding of what congregations mean to their members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn restoration experiments it is imperative to consider the study of mechanisms of how species are maintained and preserved in a system. This paper reports on the results of a field experiment examining the growth and survival of seedlings of Schizachyrium scoparium, a dominant perennial bunchgrass member of the Quercus havardii (sand shinnery oak) communities of semiarid western Texas, on mounds of displaced soil produced by Sylvilagus auduboni (rabbit). The central question posed is: does environmental heterogeneity created by small mammals influence seedling survival and growth? The specific questions addressed are: (1) Does seedling survival, growth, and nutrient uptake vary when grown on mounds, off-mound soils, and artificially created mounds?; (2) What is the influence of the microbial and litter components of mound soils on seedling survival?; and (3) In communities where animal disturbances create environmental heterogeneity and may impact seedling establishment, is it possible to artificially create mounds that could serve a similar function? Results show that characteristics of mound soils increase seedling survival, shoot and root biomass, root length, number of tillers, mycorrhizal infection, and nutrient uptake more in plants grown on mounds than off mounds. Both the microbial and litter components of mound soils are essential components of this effect. Artificial mounds generated from soils associated with the herbaceous community were more similar to intact rabbit mounds than artificial mounds generated from soils associated with the oaks. The results indicate that rabbits produce rich patches (both nutrient and microbial) favorable to the growth of seedlings of the dominant bunchgrass, and point to the potential importance of rabbit disturbances in shaping the dynamics of this plant community. Thus, rabbit-generated disturbances produce environmental heterogeneity in the sand shinnery oak community, similar to that produced by harvester... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents data on the siting of solid waste facilities in one of the nation's fastest growing cities, Houston, Texas. The findings reveal that solid waste sites were not randomly scattered over the Houston landscape but were likely to be found in predominantly black neighborhoods and near black schools. Institutionalized discrimination in the housing market, lack of zoning, and decisions by public officials over the past fifty years are major factors that have contributed to Houston's black neighborhoods becoming the ‘dumping ground’ for the area's solid waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimpanzees used for biomedical research must be bred in captivity because of restrictions on importation. Because they are large and expensive animals, population sizes at breeding facilities are limited. This implies that inbreeding at some level is inevitable and that genetic management techniques should be employed to minimize matings between related individuals. The purpose of this paper is to consider the genetic history of the chimpanzee colony at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) and to suggest ways in which genetic variability may be affected by management schemes. A total of 339 chimpanzees resided at SEER between January, 1980, and January, 1990. Although only one mating between related individuals has occurred so far, the average level of kinship in the colony and between potential breeders is increasing. Population structure techniques were employed to assess the mating patterns which have occurred and to explore the degree of change in the characteristics of potential mates. A "gene dropping" simulation method was used to predict expected levels of heir erozygosity and strategies for maintaining variability by increasing the breeding portion of the population were evaluated using a simulation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how federal resources and mandates concerning the HIV epidemic combined with the political economy and political culture of Dallas, Texas to create a distinctive local HIV/AIDS service system. The infusion of federal funds allowed nonprofit organizations to expand their services, especially in the areas of economic assistance and social services. In additions, funding to minority agencies and services to minority clients were expanded. While the fund administration structure imposed on the nonprofit providers necessitated greater administrative efforts on their part and enhanced the power of local government, it also greatly improved coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares educational and financial outcomes in early adulthood for four groups of men and women: those who never experienced a nonmarital adolescent pregnancy, those who ended a nonmarital adolescent pregnancy by abortion, those who married or cohabited and became parents in response to an adolescent pregnancy, and those who became parents but did not marry or cohabit following an adolescent pregnancy. The analyses are based on self-reports of 6,074 young men and women who were first surveyed as seventh grade students in Houston, Texas in 1971 and surveyed again between 1980 and 1988. Educational and financial outcomes in adulthood vary significantly depending on the occurrence of a nonmarital adolescent pregnancy, the resolution of nonmarital adolescent pregnancy, and the age at which adolescent pregnancy occurs. Results are discussed in relation to public policies encouraging family formation and educational support and occupational training for teen parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a 1985 survey of 1000 Texas dentists regarding three major types of preventive measures - educational services, preventive procedures, and diagnostic services. The results show that among several given educational services, respondents tended most to instruct on correct brushing or flossing and tended least to counsel on diet. Among preventive procedures, most dentists removed plaque or calculus. A very small portion applied occlusal sealants on patients under the age of 15. As for diagnostic services, most performed oral cancer screening exams. Most performed dental X-rays, but many did not use leaded protection on their patients while taking X-rays. A large number did not check their patients' blood pressure. Income, attendance of continuing education programs, and number of dental hygienists were strong, positive predictors of provision of all three types of preventive measures. Dentists who practiced in more populous areas, or had practiced for fewer years, more likely provided patients with educational services and preventive procedures. Dentists delivered more preventive procedures if they attended more professional dental meetings. Dentists who worked more hours were more likely to provide educational services and preventive procedures. Patient load correlated negatively with dentists' delivery of preventive procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1996, when El Paso Community College in El Paso, Texas, committed itself to continuous, ongoing assessment of college performance at all levels and at all sites, it recognized that paper reports must be forgone in favor of computerized assessment. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness has taken the first step toward reporting findings on the college's intranet so that the college community can see the relative quality of instructional and administrative areas based on the latest data. The college evaluates all of its instructional and administrative components. The assessment process, called unit review, defines each college component as a unit. Unit review is modeled on the evaluation of student classroom performance. Data are gathered from approximately thirty sources, including state of Texas reports; college databases; district-wide surveys of students, college employees, unit employees, external users of college services, and employers of graduates; department records; and telephone surveys of graduates and those who have not re-enrolled.

Research to date has taken a relatively narrow view of the criteria by which the effectiveness of juvenile justice sentencing policies are to be assessed. This narrowness is particularly striking given the comprehensive "get tough" reforms that recently have been enacted in nearly every state. Drawing on previous research and an analysis of the potential effects of a recent juvenile justice sentencing reform in Texas, this paper argues for greater attention to conceptualizing and empirically assessing effectiveness broadly, including reference to intended and unintended effects, multiple goals and means, and diverse stakeholders. The argument is sustained first by outlining and discussing these key dimensions and then by empirically illustrating the potential importance of one of these dimensions - diverse stakeholders and their respective interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many wastes generated in association with crude oil and natural gas exploration and production activities are exempt from regulation as hazardous waste. However, nonexempt oil and gas waste is subject to a hazardous waste determination, and if determined to be hazardous waste, is subject to standards for management of hazardous waste. Hazardous waste management standards are established by the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Subtitle C (RCRA Subtitle C). A state may enforce these standards through a hazardous waste program authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or EPA may retain RCRA Subtitle C Authority in a state. The Railroad Commission of Texas enforces standards equivalent to RCRA Subtitle C through Statewide Rule 98, Standards for Management of Hazardous Oil and Gas Waste. The Railroad Commission of Texas' hazardous oil and gas waste program has not yet been authorized by EPA; therefore, the Railroad Commission of Texas and EPA share parallel authority over hazardous oil and gas waste in Texas. Statewide Rule 98 is structured to address the application of federal hazardous waste regulation to the unique circumstances of oil and gas operations. This paper provides an overview of the regulatory process for hazardous oil and gas waste in Texas, including the application of important exemptions and exclusions and the most common applicable management standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]