Intensive Case Management for Chronic Public Inebriates

Thirty-one chronic inebriate clients in an intensive case management program were followed up at 12 months post entry. Signifcant invirovnments were noted in the areas of income, housing status, and reduced detoxification center admissions.     

Role of Institutional Climate on Underrepresented Faculty Perceptions and Decision Making in Use of Work–Family Policies

The authors examined the institutional challenges that underrepresented minority (URM) faculty perceive in higher education with use of family support workplace policies. Evidence reveals that faculty encounter differences in access to information and explanations of how to use workplace–family statutes. A qualitative study of 58 URM faculty members highlighted five particularly notable themes: (a) faculty perceptions of how the institution views their family caregiving responsibilities, (b) inadequate compensation matters in the utilization of formal policies, (c) informal policies are often inaccessible and invisible, (d) social networks affect the inclusiveness of work–family institutional practices, and (e) fear of being regarded as a “red flag” constrains decisions regarding the use of policies. Given the push in higher education to diversify its faculty ranks, if administrators are to successfully implement diversity, equity, and inclusion and retain URM faculty, institutions need to pay particular attention to how URM faculty experience the academic climate regarding work–family balance.     

Assessing arsenic,cadmium, and lead contents in major crops in Brazil for food safety purposes

The food chain is one of the major sources of human exposure to non-essential trace elements (TEs) present in soils. Human exposure to contaminated food is a worldwide health concern and a food safety issue that threatens agricultural trade. To assess the quality of Brazilian food products with respect to non-essential TEs, we evaluated arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) contents in five major crops grown in Brazil: rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, and potatoes. The samples were collected from field trials with a record of long-term use of phosphate fertilizers in the states of Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The TE concentrations in soils were all bellow the maximum allowable concentrations for agricultural soils. The mean concentrations of As, Cd, and Pb (μg kg⁻¹ dry weight) were as follows: below the detection limit <15, 29, and <40 for rice; 19, 23, and 64 for wheat; 47, 40, and 95 for corn; 65, 23, and 106 for soybeans; and 59, 22, and <40 for potatoes, respectively. Significant differences were found in the As and Cd contents of the different wheat cultivars. The levels of As, Cd, and Pb found in the studied crops are well below the values reported in the literature and are in accordance with the Codex Alimentarius and the European Union and Brazilian guidelines, indicating that the concentrations of these elements in the crops do not pose a risk to human health.