ProfNet Experts Available on Solar Tariff, FDA Packaging Change, More

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

• Solar Tariff Impact on Energy Grids
• Food Bullying and 'Peter Rabbit': Spokespeople Available
• FDA Move to Change Packaging on OTC Anti-Diarrhea Products a Good First Step

MEDIA JOBS

• Managing Editor – The Employment Benefit Adviser (NY/VA)
• Social Media Manager – South China Morning Post (NY)
• Platforms Editor – The Ladders (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• 10 Freelancing Resources to Keep You on Task
• Five Questions With Zig's CEO and Co-Founder
• Blog Profiles: Zero Waste Blogs

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Solar Tariff Impact on Energy Grids
Dr. Alberto Lamadrid
Assistant Professor of Economics
Lehigh University
Last week, the White House announced 30 percent tariffs on solar equipment made abroad, and the impact may not be a positive one. Renewable sources, including solar, are an important part of developing energy grids that are resilient and can recover from outages, especially with recent unprecedented natural disasters affecting infrastructure that could become the "new normal." Says Lamadrid: "Slapping a tariff (on solar panels) will be detrimental to development of these microgrids. It will increase the cost of resiliency." If the tariff slows implementation and growth of solar in the U.S., it will have not only short-term impacts but longer-term ones, as energy grids have "a long memory," he says. "This means if solar is not integrated now, that infrastructure will not be in place and may be difficult and expensive to retrofit. Making it harder to employ solar also may lead to increasing reliance on coal and natural gas, whereas diversification of power sources helps energy grids be nimbler, which helps during large disruptions. This will make recovering from large disruptions harder and more expensive. "The bottom line is slapping this kind of tariff will be a diversion of very valuable resources in terms of making the system more likely to withstand the likely impacts we will see on the system," Lamadrid says. "While tariffs of this type sometimes do provide income used to develop local industry, we'd be better off eliminating the tariff and experiencing the benefits of easier solar equipment importation."
Dr. Lamadrid researches resilient microgrids, including use of renewable power sources to help grids bounce back during disasters and outages. He is part of the Integrated Networks for Electricity Research Center at Lehigh University.
Bio: https://cbe.lehigh.edu/faculty-research/faculty/economics/alberto-j-lamadrid
Contact: Amy White, [email protected]

Food Bullying and 'Peter Rabbit': Spokespeople Available
Tonya Winders
President and Chief Executive Officer
Allergy & Asthma Network
"Many parents, patients and food allergy advocacy organizations have expressed concern following Friday's release of the children's movie 'Peter Rabbit.' Food allergy bullying happens when those living with LTAs are teased, ridiculed, or even threatened or assaulted with food to which they are severely allergic. Nearly six million children suffer from LTAs in the United States. It is important that children are educated about life threatening food allergies and are taught to accept children who have them."
As part of the No Appetite for Bullying initiative, kaléo, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to building innovative solutions for serious and life-threatening medical conditions, offers the following media resources: Tonya Winders, president and chief executive officer of Allergy & Asthma Network, a leading allergy advocacy organization; Zac Chelini, a young man who has been bullied due to his food allergies since he was in elementary school; statistics regarding the prevalence of food allergies and food allergy bullying; and results from a survey released October 2017 regarding gaps in knowledge and perceptions that exist around food allergy bullying.
Website: www.noappetiteforbullying.com
Contact: Jennifer Corrigan, [email protected]

FDA Move to Change Packaging on OTC Anti-Diarrhea Products a Good First Step
William Eggleston
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice
Binghamton University
The Food and Drug Administration is asking manufacturers of over-the-counter anti-diarrhea treatments to change the way they package their products to curb abuse by people with drug addictions. Eggleston, a clinical assistant professor at Binghamton University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said the FDA action was a "good first step." But he said that getting online sellers to work on the problem is critical: "Even if you limit the quantities available in any individual package, if you can buy a lot of packages online, that doesn't fix the issue that the drug is easily accessible." If loperamide abuse continues to be a problem, Eggleston said, authorities should consider moving the drug behind the counter, which would require consumers to ask their pharmacists for it. That is what happened with products containing pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make methamphetamine. Congress passed a law more than a decade ago requiring that those be sold from behind the counter and imposing other restrictions.
Eggleston co-authored a 2017 report published online in the Annals of Emergency Medicine that described two men who died after ingesting large amounts of loperamide. One was a 24-year-old with a history of substance abuse. Found unresponsive at home, along with six empty boxes of loperamide, he appeared to have had a seizure.
Website: https://www.binghamton.edu
Contact: John Brhel, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Managing Editor – The Employment Benefit Adviser (NY/VA)
• Social Media Manager – South China Morning Post (NY)
• Platforms Editor – The Ladders (NY)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• 10 FREELANCING RESOURCES TO KEEP YOU ON TASK. Sometimes, looking for freelancer resources feels a bit like getting sucked into a black hole. There's so much out there. Having access to pages of resources may clutter up your bookmarks bar, but it's not inherently a bad thing. It just means there are plenty of places to find inspiration, motivation, and advice. Here are some resources that may help: http://prn.to/2nXQQpZ
• FIVE QUESTIONS WITH ZIG'S CEO AND CO-FOUNDER. With the debut of Zig, entrepreneur Joshua James wants to change the way people engage with and consume the news. Along with co-founders Adam Platzner and John Tornow, James launched the compelling new media platform earlier this month, and it's already garnering big attention. Former Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter, music producer Quincy Jones, and Live Nation are just some of the high-profile players backing the venture. For Carter, this is his first public project since leaving his post at Vanity Fair. In a recent news release, Carter says he wants to help the team how he can and believes the app "will find a wide and dedicated audience." That's likely because Zig promises to shake up the current ecosystem -- one that has delivered mixed results for publishers in the past. Read more: http://prn.to/2EspW0W
• BLOG PROFILES: ZERO WASTE BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at a few zero waste blogs: http://prn.to/2EaxYuI

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