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Abstract Background Sealants and other building materials sold in the U.S. from 1958 - 1971 were commonly manufactured with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at percent quantities by weight. Volatilization of PCBs from construction materials has been reported to produce PCB levels in indoor air that exceed health protective guideline values. The discovery of PCBs in indoor air of schools can produce numerous complications including disruption of normal operations and potential risks to health. Understanding the dynamics of building-related PCBs in indoor air is needed to identify effective strategies for managing potential exposures and risks. This paper reports on the efficacy of selected engineering controls implemented to mitigate concentrations of PCBs in indoor air. Methods Three interventions (ventilation, contact encapsulation, and physical barriers) were evaluated in an elementary school with PCB-containing caulk and elevated PCB concentrations in indoor air. Fluorescent light ballasts did not contain PCBs. Following implementation of the final intervention, measurements obtained over 14 months were used to assess the efficacy of the mitigation methods over time as well as temporal variability of PCBs in indoor air. Results Controlling for air exchange rates and temperature, the interventions produced statistically significant (p < 0.05) reductions in concentrations of PCBs in indoor air of the school. The mitigation measures remained effective over the course of the entire follow-up period. After all interventions were implemented, PCB levels in indoor air were associated with indoor temperature. In a "broken-stick" regression model with a node at 20°C, temperature explained 79% of the variability of indoor PCB concentrations over time (p < 0.001). Conclusions Increasing outdoor air ventilation, encapsulating caulk, and constructing a physical barrier over the encapsulated material were shown to be effective at reducing exposure concentrations of PCBs in indoor air of a school and also preventing direct contact with PCB caulk. In-place management methods such as these avoid the disruption and higher costs of demolition, disposal and reconstruction required when PCB-containing building materials are removed from a school. Because of the influence of temperature on indoor air PCB levels, risk assessment results based on short-term measurements, e.g., a single day or season, may be erroneous and could lead to sub-optimal allocation of resources.

Companies that implement electronic health records (EHRs) often are quick to analyze and build in clinical functionalities and data elements. However, they fail to examine how EHRs could assist them [...]

Some significant relationships were established between certain observable behaviors and Wechsler performance test scores earned by 104 hearing-impaired persons, all students or former students at a state residential school for the deaf. (Author)

A model of memory developed by information processing psychologists is described, illustrating how such a model could be used to guide science education research on learning and problem solving. (Author/SK)

Reflective writing is a useful tool in medical education to analyze student experiences and measure development of certain skills. This tool is particularly useful in identifying skill components of systems-based practice. These skills are necessary for any practicing physician, but are of particular importance as they are a required residency competency. There is now additional focus on systems-based practice with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). In this qualitative, grounded theory study, the reflective writings of students at a United States medical school were analyzed using the constant comparative method to explore how the focus of a medical student progresses through the clinical curriculum. The interprofessional team of researchers specifically sought to determine if areas of medical student focus evolve vertically across the curriculum and if in the process students develop an understanding of systems-based practice. The data supported both of these objectives, and actively supports future research to identify ways, both inside and outside the curriculum, to leverage the students' natural progression of focus in order to expand systems-based practice education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a linked project that examines the use, form and content of Planning, Design and Development Briefs, as used by local authorities in Great Britain. The use of planning and design briefs was carried out in 1982-1983 to test whether the role of a brief as an instrument of local policy and as a promotional tool in the development process was being exploited. It was found that local development and local area policy procedures are not using the available methods for environmental research and do not appear to take cognizance of developments in urban design theory.

The article presents an insights of various writers related to the future development theory. According to G. K Chesterton in his Essay "On Facing Facts" that nothing has more dead than the future for the reason that it does not exist. Andreas Faludi says planning is the application of scientific method, however it is a crude of policy making. Further, according to the book of Davidoff and Reiner, they define planning as a process for determining appropriate future action through a sequences of choices.

The work of the priest in the inner city is characterized by the mark of controversy. This study is primarily exploratory in design, the purpose of which Is to ascertain some crucial factors that influence both the work and the person of the priest. The findings point to considerable role strain on the part of the inner city priest. Based on the findings, the author proposes several hypotheses for directing future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]