Spotlight on solar farms

Solar energy is the most abundant of all renewable energy sources, and the development pressures for solar farms have grown rapidly in the last 5 years within the UK. With this in mind, this paper outlines the characteristics of solar farms, describes their development within the UK, examines some of the issues raised by these developments and offers a concluding discussion of the contributions that public and media relations firms can make to the development of solar farms. The paper reveals that solar farms have been developed on both agricultural land and brownfield sites and that the development pressures are greatest in the South West and South East of England. The findings reveal that proposals to develop solar farms have generated a wide range of environmental, community and economic issues and that public relations companies have an important role to play in fostering the transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thinking About Prison Release and Budget Crisis in the Blue Grass State

As of 2003, nearly every state in the country is in budget crisis, looking to cut spending or raise taxes, or both. Kentucky is currently facing a severe budget crisis and is seeking ways to lower its prison costs. We interviewed prisoners, parolees, and correctional staff. Our focus is on reentry and structural problems contributing to parole failure. The discussion is organized around the following themes: the lack of meaningful prison programs, preparing for release from prison, problems finding employment, the parolee relationship with parole officers, the need for protection from minor parole violations, loss of credit for good time served on parole, and the lack of economic resources. Based on our findings, 10 recommendations are offered that, if implemented, would serve to lower the prison population, and save the taxpayers millions of dollars. While the research was conducted in one state the discussion may be generalized to apply to many states.     

NEW DIRECTIONS IN EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING POLICY: A FEDERAL PERSPECTIVE

The U.S. Department of Labor's "Work Force 2000" project has identified long-term trends that will affect future employment and training policy. These include demographic trends such as a decline in the pool of young labor market entrants and an increase in women, minority, and immigrant workers; the continued shift from goods-producing industries to the service sector; and continued technological innovation in response to increased international competition. These projected changes in the labor market and workplace present a national challenge and an opportunity to tackle the longstanding problems of disadvantaged workers. Cooperative public and private programs to eliminate illiteracy and increase job skills and competencies, ease labor mobility and provide retraining, and attack underlying social problems that support the cycle of welfare dependency and unemployment are needed to provide the workforce America needs for the future.     

Pharmacokinetics of ethanol in patients with renal failure before and after hemodialysis

We studied the pharmacokinetics of ethanol in seven patients suffering from terminal renal failure before and after they underwent hemodialysis. Ethanol (0.40 g/kg) was administered in the morning after an overnight fast by a constant rate intravenous (IV) infusion over 45 min. After removing a mean fluid volume of 2.46±0.48 liters (±SD), span 1.76–3.43 liters by hemodialysis, the same subjects received a second IV infusion of ethanol after they had eaten lunch. At exactly timed intervals of 0, 45, 90, 105, 120, 135, 150, 165, and 180 min from the start of the infusion, two blood-samples were drawn and the plasma portion of one of them was obtained by centrifugation. The concentration of ethanol in blood and plasma was determined by headspace gas chromatography and the water-content of whole blood was determined from the change in weight after desiccation. Plasma always contained a higher concentration of ethanol than whole blood and the mean plasma/whole blood ratio in patients with renal failure was 1.07:1 (span 1.05–1.10). The rate of ethanol disappearance from blood (β-slope) was faster (0.185±0.013 versus 0.157±0.022 g/l/h), the C₀ value was higher (0.79±0.08 versus 0.73±0.10 g/l) and the apparent volume of distribution (V_d) of ethanol was lower (0.507±0.049 versus 0.558±0.078 l/kg) after hemodialysis. The water content of whole blood was significantly higher (P<0.001) before dialysis (88.6±1.97 g/100 ml) compared with after dialysis (87.4±2.01 g/100 ml). The higher V_d for ethanol and lower C₀ as well as higher blood-water content are to be expected for a over hydrated condition before hemodialysis. The swifter rate of ethanol elimination from blood (β-slope) after hemodialysis should be interpreted with caution because eating a meal before the second infusion of ethanol is a confounding factor. Nevertheless, the rate of elimination of ethanol from blood in patients with renal failure agreed reasonably well with values expected for healthy subjects, namely mean 0.15 g/l/h spanning from 0.10 to 0.20 g/l/h.     

Is there a “lost world” of criminal investigation?

This article is a critical examination of current investigation textbooks. It argues that they, like urban government textbooks of years ago, are deficient in many ways. For instance it is asserted that in a number of respects current texts present an inaccurate depiction of the criminal investigation process. This comes about in a number of ways. For example, at least by implication, many texts appear to present an inaccurate portrayal of how investigators spend their time. Moreover, they also present a highly simplistic picture of both the inter- and intra-organizational context within which investigators must operate. In addition to these deficiencies, the texts under consideration are also guilty of over-emphasizing the role that criminalistics play in the investigative process, while at the same time under-emphasizing the role of informants. Furthermore, most texts put a heavy emphasis on describing the ideal investigator while ignoring the characteristics that actual investigators exhibit. Finally, it is suggested that because criminal investigation texts do not present typologies or categories of crime, the student is faced with a mass of facts that are difficult to learn and retain.The article concludes by suggesting a different framework for criminal investigation texts, a framework that emphasizes that investigators actually operate in an organizational setting which sets contsraints on their actions and a framework which uses a typology of investigative strategies.