ARE EXTENSION EDUCATION PROGRAMS EFFECTIVE? IMPACTS OF A PROGRAM TO ASSIST LIMITED RESOURCE AND SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Language proficiency and self-concept : a study of Japanese exchange students

The major purpose of this study was to explore changes in language proficiency and self-concept of Japanese college students participating in an intensive English language program at Tokyo International University of America (TIUA). Another purpose of the study was to determine if there was a relationship between change in English language proficiency as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and changes in self-concept as measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS). Data for this study were collected between May 1989 (pretest) and January 1990 (posttest). Of the 61 students (mostly sophomores and juniors) in the exchange program, 44 students completed the pre- and posttests of TOEFL, 52 students completed the pre-and posttests of TSCS, while 39 students completed the pre- and posttests of both the TOEFL and TSCS. The data were analyzed by methods of one-way analysis of variance, t-tests and Pearson's correlation analyses. Results of this study show that (i) there was a statistically significant increase in the level of language proficiency of the Japanese exchange students, (ii) there were no significant gender differences in TOEFL test scores, (iii) there were no significance changes in TSCS total or subscales scores, (iv) there were no significant gender differences in TSCS total or subscales change scores, and (iv) a significant correlation was found between TOEFL scores and changes in the TSCS social self score (r = .306). The researcher recommends that more in-depth study be conducted to explore the relationship that social self and behavior may have upon language development. Moreover, additional studies on intensive language programs should be undertaken using control groups to compare English language development within short-term intensive language programs. It is also recommended that further research be done to determine self-concept development among international students

Estimating the Cost of Type 1 Diabetes in the U.S.: A Propensity Score Matching Method

Diabetes costs represent a large burden to both patients and the health care system. However, few studies that examine the economic consequences of diabetes have distinguished between the two major forms, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, despite differences in underlying pathologies. Combining the two diseases implies that there is no difference between the costs of type 1 and type 2 diabetes to a patient. In this study, we examine the costs of type 1 diabetes, which is often overlooked due to the larger population of type 2 patients, and compare them to the estimated costs of diabetes reported in the literature.Using a nationally representative dataset, we estimate yearly and lifetime medical and indirect costs of type 1 diabetes by implementing a matching method to compare a patient with type 1 diabetes to a similar individual without the disease. We find that each year type 1 diabetes costs this country $14.4 billion (11.5-17.3) in medical costs and lost income. In terms of lost income, type 1 patients incur a disproportionate share of type 1 and type 2 costs. Further, if the disease were eliminated by therapeutic intervention, an estimated$10.6 billion (7.2-14.0) incurred by a new cohort and $422.9 billion (327.2-519.4) incurred by the existing number of type 1 diabetic patients over their lifetime would be avoided.We find that the costs attributed to type 1 diabetes are disproportionately higher than the number of type 1 patients compared with type 2 patients, suggesting that combining the two diseases when estimating costs is not appropriate. This study and another recent contribution provides a necessary first step in estimating the substantial costs of type 1 diabetes on the U.S

Biophysical interactions in tropical agroforestry systems

sequential systems, simultaneous systems Abstract. The rate and extent to which biophysical resources are captured and utilized by the components of an agroforestry system are determined by the nature and intensity of interac-tions between the components. The net effect of these interactions is often determined by the influence of the tree component on the other component(s) and/or on the overall system, and is expressed in terms of such quantifiable responses as soil fertility changes, microclimate modification, resource (water, nutrients, and light) availability and utilization, pest and disease incidence, and allelopathy. The paper reviews such manifestations of biophysical interactions in major simultaneous (e.g., hedgerow intercropping and trees on croplands) and sequential (e.g., planted tree fallows) agroforestry systems. In hedgerow intercropping (HI), the hedge/crop interactions are dominated by soil fertility improvement and competition for growth resources. Higher crop yields in HI than in sole cropping are noted mostly in inherently fertile soils in humid and subhumid tropics, and are caused by large fertility improvement relative to the effects of competition. But, yield increases are rare in semiarid tropics and infertile acid soils because fertility improvement does not offse