Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2009

Provides an overview of changes in state legislatures' budgets for pre-K programs and discusses regional trends in progress toward providing pre-K education for all -- or the lack thereof. Includes state-by-state budget and policy summaries

Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2006

Twenty budget-savvy governors recently recommended increased investment in a cost-effective strategy that saves taxpayers money, boosts state economies, and prepares our youngest citizens for future success. That strategy is high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten.This report evaluates all 50 U.S. governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia in terms of their budgetary proposals and State of the State remarks in support of voluntary pre-k for all

Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2007

Across the country, governors are recognizing high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten as a proven school-reform strategy. In 2006, 24 leaders prioritized this effort by proposing increased funding to expand and enhance their states' pre-k programs. These investments promise to improve both K-12 systems and children's opportunities for success in kindergarten and in life. This report reviews the state of the state addresses and proposed budgets of our nation's governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia to assess their individual commitments to high-quality pre-k for all

Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals, Fiscal Year 2009

Through an annual review of governors' budget proposals and state of the state addresses, rates governors' commitments to early education, from "heroes" to "all talk and no action." Summarizes all state and District of Columbia pre-K budget changes

Unsteady effects during resistance tests on a ship model in a towing tank

It is known that there are oscillations in the wave resistance during the constantvelocity phase of a towing-tank resistance test on a ship model. In this work, the unsteady thin-ship resistance theory has been applied to this case. The results have been compared with experiment data obtained using a towing carriage the velocity history of which can be programmed. It is demonstrated here that generally excellent correlation exists between the theory and the experiments. In particular, one can predict the influence of Froude number, rate of acceleration, and type of smoothing of the acceleration on the characteristics of the oscillations. These characteristics include the amplitude, rate of decay, frequency, and phasing of the oscillations in the curve of wave resistance versus time

Resistance of a compartmented surface-effect ship

A series of carefully controlled experiments on the resistance of a model of a compartmented surface-effect ship has been conducted in a towing tank. Configurations of the model included cases encompassing one subcushion and two subcushions, as well as differing values of the pressures in the subcushions. It was shown that a reduced total resistance in the appropriate range of Froude number could be achieved in this manner. Furthermore, the previously developed theory for the resistance of a surface-effect ship was verified for the model for a Froude number greater than 0.40

Pre-K and Politics 2005

2005 was a banner year for high-quality pre-k. Across the nation, states made substantial new commitments, grew existing programs, and provided support for professional development and other quality building efforts. Of course, not all the news was good. In some states, governors failed to advance programs that benefit children, while in others, inadequate governance left programs rudderless. This report takes a closer look at the year's pre-k winners and losers and identifies those states where pre-k is at a crossroads

Does Exam-targeted Training Help Village Doctors Pass the Certified (Assistant) Physician Exam and Improve Their Practical Skills? A Cross-sectional Analysis of Village Doctors\u27 Perspectives in Changzhou in Eastern China

Background Quality of health care needs to be improved in rural China. The Chinese government, based on the 1999 Law on Physicians, started implementing the Rural Doctor Practice Regulation in 2004 to increase the percentage of certified physicians among village doctors. Special exam-targeted training for rural doctors therefore was launched as a national initiative. This study examined these rural doctors’ perceptions of whether that training helps them pass the exam and whether it improves their skills. Methods Three counties were selected from the 4 counties in Changzhou City in eastern China, and 844 village doctors were surveyed by a questionnaire in July 2012. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to identify differences of attitudes about the exam and training between the rural doctors and certified (assistant) doctors. Longitudinal annual statistics (1980–2014) of village doctors were further analyzed. Results Eight hundred and forty-four village doctors were asked to participate, and 837 (99.17%) responded. Only 14.93% of the respondents had received physician (assistant) certification. Only 49.45% of the village doctors thought that the areas tested by the certification exam were closely related to the healthcare needs of rural populations. The majority (86.19%) felt that the training program was “very helpful” or “helpful” for preparing for the exam. More than half the village doctors (61.46%) attended the “weekly school”. The village doctors considered the most effective method of learning was “continuous training (40.36%)” . The majority of the rural doctors (89.91%) said they would be willing to participate in the training and 96.87% stated that they could afford to pay up to 2000 yuan for it. Conclusions The majority of village doctors in Changzhou City perceived that neither the certification exam nor the training for it are closely related to the actual healthcare needs of rural residents. Policies and programs should focus on providing exam-preparation training for selected rural doctors, reducing training expenditures, and utilizing web-based methods. The training focused on rural practice should be provided to all village doctors, even certified physicians. The government should also adjust the local licensing requirements to attract and recruit new village doctors

Auscultating heart and breath sounds through patients’ gowns: who does this and does it matter?

Background Doctors are taught to auscultate with the stethoscope applied to the skin, but in practice may be seen applying the stethoscope to the gown. Objectives To determine how often doctors auscultate heart and breath sounds through patients’ gowns, and to assess the impact of this approach on the quality of the sounds heard. Methods A sample of doctors in the west of Scotland were sent an email in 2014 inviting them to answer an anonymous questionnaire about how they auscultated heart and breath sounds. Normal heart sounds from two subjects were recorded through skin, through skin and gown, and through skin, gown and dressing gown. These were played to doctors, unaware of the origin of each recording, who completed a questionnaire about the method and quality of the sounds they heard. Results 206 of 445 (46%) doctors completed the questionnaire. 124 (60%) stated that they listened to patients’ heart sounds, and 156 (76%) to patients’ breath sounds, through patients’ gowns. Trainees were more likely to do this compared with consultants (OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.74 to 6.65). Doctors of all grades considered this practice affected the quality of the sounds heard. 32 doctors listened to the recorded heart sounds. 23 of the 64 (36%) skin and 23 of the 64 (36%) gown recordings were identified. The majority of doctors (74%) could not differentiate between skin or gown recordings, but could tell them apart from the double layer recordings (p=0.02). Trainees were more likely to hear artefactual added sounds (p=0.04). Conclusions Many doctors listen to patients’ heart and breath sounds through hospital gowns, at least occasionally. In a short test, most doctors could not distinguish between sounds heard through a gown or skin. Further work is needed to determine the impact of this approach to auscultation on the identification of murmurs and added sounds