Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is a manufacturer of rail coaches located in Perambur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established in 1955 and is owned and operated by the Indian Railways. It is located in Perambur, in the suburbs of Chennai. The ICF is one of the four rake production units of the Indian Railways, the other three being the Modern Coach Factory at Raebareli, Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala and Marathwada Rail Coach Factory at Latur.The coach factory primarily manufactures rolling stock for Indian Railways but also exports railway coaches to other countries. ICF set a new record producing 2,503 coaches in the fiscal year 2017–2018. It became the world's largest railway coach manufacturer, rolling out 3,262 coaches in the fiscal year 2018–2019, up from 1,437 coaches in 2009–2010, expecting to produce 4,000 units in the fiscal year 2019–2020.A premier production unit of the Indian railways, the ICF manufactures a range of coaches, including Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) ones, in addition to self-propelled train sets (SPTs) such as electrical multiple units (EMU).
BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a research priority for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because PFAS include thousands of structurally diverse chemicals, there is a pressing need for identifying what data are available to assess the human health hazard of these compounds. OBJECTIVES: We used systematic evidence map (SEM) methods to summarize the available epidemiological and mammalian bioassay evidence for ∼14,735 chemicals identified as PFAS by EPA's Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE). This work is a continuation of our previous 2022 and 2024 SEMs that inventoried evidence on a separate set of ∼500 PFAS. The Comprehensive PFAS Dashboard includes evidence identified from our past SEMs and completed EPA assessments. METHODS: We conducted literature searches from peer-reviewed and gray literature sources to identify, screen, and inventory mammalian bioassay and epidemiological literature. A combination of manual review and machine learning software were utilized. A diverse array of potentially relevant supplemental content was also tracked, including mechanistic data, exposure-only studies, and studies informing chemical toxicokinetics and clearance. For each study meeting predefined population, exposure, comparator, and outcome (PECO) criteria, experimental design details and health end points evaluated were summarized in interactive web-based literature inventory visuals. Epidemiology studies and animal bioassay studies with ≥21-day exposure duration or reproductive/developmental study design proceeded to undergo a study evaluation for risk of bias and sensitivity, as well as detailed extraction of health end point data. Underlying data are publicly available and can be downloaded. RESULTS: Scientific database searches retrieved 152,205 references. After full-text screening, there were 347 mammalian bioassay and 44 epidemiological studies that met PECO criteria. The mammalian bioassay and epidemiological evidence assessed 99 and 30 individual PFAS, respectively (n = 18 PFAS with both). The epidemiological evidence assessed 15 health systems and the mammalian bioassay evidence assessed 16 health systems. DISCUSSION: Results from our 2022 and 2024 SEMs and completed EPA assessments are compiled into Comprehensive PFAS Dashboard. This dashboard is a resource for better understanding the currently available PFAS human health hazard data. It can be used as a tool for researchers and regulators interested in PFAS data gaps and research needs. Across all the data sources compiled into the Comprehensive PFAS Dashboard, only 1.4% (214/14,735) of PFAS had any mammalian bioassay or epidemiological data available. The vast majority of PFAS lack publicly available information about the potential human health effects of exposure to these chemicals.
BACKGROUND:This pilot study examined the effects of the Comprehensive Health Educator Core Knowledge and Skills professional development (CHECKS PD) package on health education (HEd) teacher instructional competencies in one US Pacific Northwest school district. METHODS:During the 2021-2022 academic year, the CHECKS PD package was delivered to secondary school HEd teachers (n = 32). Pre/post surveys measured changes in HEd teachers' perceived instructional competencies (i.e., essential knowledge and skills). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests examined changes in teachers' (n = 15) perceived instructional competencies before and after participating in CHECKS PD. RESULTS:Following CHECKS PD participation, teachers perceived their instructional competencies improved in: assess student needs (Z = -2.26, p = 0.02), child/adolescent development (Z = -2.02, p = 0.04), communicate effectively and efficiently (Z = -2.20, p = 0.03), evaluate student performance (Z = -2.31, p = 0.02), plan instruction (Z = -2.70, p = 0.01), pedagogical content knowledge (Z = -2.08, p = 0.04), and professional standards and policies (Z = -2.56, p = 0.01). IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY:Using the skills-focused CHECKS PD package may enhance HEd teachers' instructional competencies. CONCLUSION:Future research with larger samples of HEd teachers from geographically diverse settings is needed.
We examine the nexus of leadership and flow through the lens of two inherently positive psychological leadership approaches. In so doing, we examine how leaders can craft conditions to make work more conducive to followers' flow, and the beneficial effects this has on well-being and performance. Data were collected from 40 employees who completed an initial survey and subsequent daily surveys over two weeks (273 data points). Results from hierarchical linear modeling (level-1 days; level-2 persons) suggest that transformational leaders and leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships impact employees' work characteristics, subsequently impacting daily flow. In turn, followers' daily flow predicted daily psychological well-being and performance on subsequent days, further evidencing the downstream importance of flow-facilitative leader behaviors. Both transformational leadership and LMX were also found to predict psychological well-being through leaders' impact on flow preconditions and flow itself in a full multi-stage mediation model.
Background: Jet fuels are a common chemical exposure in occupational settings involving aircraft. Jet fuels are heterogeneous mixtures of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, as well as non-hydrocarbon performance additives. Several components of jet fuels have been linked to adverse health outcomes. The “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022” required the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a report to Congress on the health effects of jet fuels used in the military. Objectives: This investigation assessed the epidemiologic evidence of the health effects associated with occupational exposure to jet fuels in military and non-military settings using robust and reproducible systematic review methods. Methods: Two scientific databases (PubMed and EBSCOhost), 17 gray literature sources and five review articles were searched for relevant, primary epidemiologic studies through May, 2024. Risk of bias and strength of evidence were evaluated according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment framework for systematic reviews and evidence synthesis. Results: Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria, including 18 studies in military settings and 10 studies in non-military occupational settings. It was determined that there was slight evidence of associations between jet fuel exposure and neurologic, cognitive and behavioral, respiratory, and cancer outcomes. For all other health outcome categories, the available evidence of jet fuels effect on humans was considered indeterminate. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of epidemiologic evidence on the health effects of occupational jet fuel exposure. Available data were sparse for multiple health outcomes, and most studies tended to be of lower quality. Future work will include expanding the scope of the review to integrate toxicological and mechanistic evidence.
Scientific assessments are tools used to look across a broad body of knowledge and draw overarching conclusions about the state of the science. They allow experts to synthesize technical knowledge and develop broad understanding of observed and future trends, risks, and opportunities. The National Climate Assessment (NCA), a major climate report of the United States (U.S.) Government, is one such assessment report. The NCA was created by Congressional statute and is classified as a Highly Influential Scientific Assessment, which results in a wide range of obligations, as well as required compliance with various statutes and other federal policies and procedures. The NCA also represents a unique effort to bring together federal agencies, the scientific community, and users of climate science throughout the U.S. to empower decision-making, build consensus, and drive climate actions. Innovations in the NCA development process over multiple cycles of the report’s development were implemented to meet both evolving legal requirements and user needs are described in this paper to share institutional knowledge and best practices with those assessment developers who might be navigating similarly complex constraints. This paper seeks to summarize that history and draw out some valuable lessons for future interagency assessment development teams. A discussion of critical innovations, including expansion of technical resources, knowledge bases, and communication tools, is included to inform the development process of future scientific assessments.
