Professional staffing levels and fourth-grade student research in rural schools with high-poverty levels

Rural schools in high-poverty areas are often understaffed. This descriptive phenomenological study examined fourth-grade state research projects in high- poverty rural Iowa schools to reveal the influence of school librarians’ staffing levels on student learning of research skills. To determine evidence of students’ critical literacy, ethical use of information, content learning, and understanding of the inquiry process, researchers analyzed twenty-four student work samples from eight schools, along with students’ responses to questionnaires and school librarians’ responses to surveys. Six (66 percent) student work samples in higher-staffed schools showed higher critical-literacy scores than those in the five lower-staffed schools. Six (of nine) students in higher-staffed schools garnered higher scores in ethical use of information. Content learning in all but one school was mainly factual. At the end of the project fourteen students (58 percent) posed new inquiry questions that were either conceptual or provocative

Professional staffing levels and fourth-grade student research in rural schools with high-poverty levels

Rural schools in high-poverty areas are often understaffed. This descriptive phenomenological study examined fourth-grade state research projects in high- poverty rural Iowa schools to reveal the influence of school librarians’ staffing levels on student learning of research skills. To determine evidence of students’ critical literacy, ethical use of information, content learning, and understanding of the inquiry process, researchers analyzed twenty-four student work samples from eight schools, along with students’ responses to questionnaires and school librarians’ responses to surveys. Six (66 percent) student work samples in higher-staffed schools showed higher critical-literacy scores than those in the five lower-staffed schools. Six (of nine) students in higher-staffed schools garnered higher scores in ethical use of information. Content learning in all but one school was mainly factual. At the end of the project fourteen students (58 percent) posed new inquiry questions that were either conceptual or provocative

Intensive hog farming operations and self-reported health among nearby rural residents in Ottawa, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2004, hog farming operations were introduced in the village of Sarsfield in the eastern part of Ottawa, Canada. This study evaluates the health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and the prevalence of respiratory conditions among adults and children who lived in proximity to this farm.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey was administered to a random sample of residents from seven rural communities in the eastern part of Ottawa, Canada. We analyzed self-reported questionnaire data obtained from 723 adults and 285 children/adolescents. HRQOL was assessed using the SF-36 survey instrument, while data were also collected for sociodemographic characteristics, the prevalence of selected health conditions, and lifestyle related behaviours (e.g., smoking) of participants. Variations in self-reported health according to the residential distance to the hog farm were evaluated using logistic regression and analysis of variance methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For the most part, the prevalence of selected health conditions among adults and children was not associated with how far they lived from the farm. No associations were observed with migraines, respiratory conditions (asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, and chronic bronchitis), and allergies. However, a higher prevalence of depression was noted among those who lived within 3 km of the farm relative to those who lived more than 9 km away (odds ratio = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.11, 3.65). Furthermore, individuals who lived closer to the IHF were more likely to worry about environmental issues such as water quality, outdoor and indoor smells, and air pollution. This level of worry also contributed to lower HRQOL scores for individuals who lived closer to the farm. It was also observed that the prevalence of depression was much higher among those who indicated a concern about environmental issues (18.2%) when compared to those who did not (8.0%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While our findings suggest that living in close proximity to an IHF may adversely affect HRQOL these should be interpreted cautiously due to a lack of direct measures of environmental exposures, and possible biases inherent in the use of self-reported health measures.</p

Gljivice kao sastavni dio bioaerosola u nastambama za muzne krave i nesilice konzumnih jaja

The air of animal dwellings can contain great amounts of bioaerosol composed of dust, bacteria, fungi, and endotoxins. The composition may depend on animal species, building construction, animal accommodation, and microclimate parameters, to name just a few factors. Pathogens contained may be a serious threat to animal and human health. The aim of our study was to analyse the fungi aerosol content in a stable housing dairy cows and in a coop for laying hens over the three autumn months of 2007. The air was sampled on Petri dishes with Sabouraud glucose agar. After laboratory treatment, we identifi ed the most common fungi. Their count in the stable ranged from 3.98x103 CFU m-3 to 5.11x104 CFU m-3 and in the coop from 6.89 x104 CFU m-3 to 1.13x105 CFU m-3. The difference between the two animal dwellings was statistically different at the level of p<0.05. In both dwellings, the most common were the fungi Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and yeasts, followed by Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Scopulariopsis sp., Alternaria sp., and Rhizopus sp. Our results are entirely in line with values reported in literature and are at the lower end of the range. They call for further investigation that would eventually lead to setting air quality standards for animal dwellings and to developing reliable monitoring systems in order to ensure safe food and safe environment.U zraku nastambi za držanje životinja stvaraju se znatne količine bioaerosola. Njega čine prašina, bakterije, gljivice, endotoksini i plinovi. Brojnost im ovisi o građevinsko-tehničkim značajkama nastambi, naseljenosti životinjama, načinu držanja, temperaturno-vlažnim odnosima u staji i aktivnostima oko hranjenja, mužnje, skupljanja jaja i drugih poslova. Ove čestice, ako su patogene, mogu biti ozbiljna prijetnja za zdravlje ljudi. Mjerenja su obavljana u staji muznih krava te u objektu za nesilice, 2007. godine, tijekom tri jesenja mjeseca. Zrak je uzorkovan na Petrijeve zdjelice sa Sabouraudovim glukoznim agarom, uređajem MAS 100. Nakon obrade u laboratoriju, prema osnovnim i mikromorfološkim osobinama poraslih kolonija identifi cirani su najčešće zastupljeni rodovi gljivica. Srednja vrijednost broja gljivica u zraku staje za muzne krave kretala se od 3,98x103 CFU m-3 do 5,11x104 CFU m-3. Broj gljivica u zraku objekta za nesilice kretao se od 6,89x104 CFU m-3 do 1,13x105 CFU m-3. Ove vrijednosti statistički su se značajno razlikovale na razini p<0,05. U obje pretraživane nastambe najčešće su bili zastupljeni rodovi Aspergillus, Penicillium i kvasnice. U manjem postotku utvrđene su gljivice iz rodova Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Scopulariopsis sp., Alternaria sp. i Rhizopus sp. Rezultati ovih istraživanja o kvantitativnom i kvalitativnom sastavu gljivica u zraku pretraženih nastambi potpuno su u skladu s vrijednostima zabilježenim u literaturi te se nalaze na donjim granicama opisanih raspona. Utvrđeni broj i rodovi gljivica ukazuju na nužnost daljnjih istraživanja te potrebu postavljanja standardnih vrijednosti glede kvalitete zraka u nastambama za životinje, kao i razvoj vjerodostojnog sustava praćenja navedenih čimbenika, s ciljem stvaranja sigurne hrane i sigurnog okoliša

Sexuality, rights and personhood: tensions in a transnational world

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This article discusses what happens when normative ‘global’ discourses of rights and individuated sexual identity confront the messiness of ‘local’ realities. It considers the tensions that emerge when the relationship between sexual and social identities is not obvious and the implications of such tensions for public health and sexual rights activism. These questions are addressed through debates over the naming of male-to-male sexualities and desires in the context of globalization and the growth of a large NGO (non-governmental organization) sector in urban Bangladesh.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The material in the paper draws on a research project undertaken in 2008-9 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A fundamental objective was to produce a contextualized understanding of sexuality in Dhaka city. Methods used included structured interviews, focus group discussions and informal conversations with a range of participants (students, factory workers, public health professionals and sexual minorities). The aim was to generate a conceptual and analytical framework around sexuality and rights rather than to undertake an empirical survey of any one population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As descriptors, globalized identity categories such as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), used by public health providers, the state and donors; and gay/lesbian, invoked by human rights activists and transnational NGOs, are too narrow to capture the fluid and highly context-specific ways in which gender and sexually nonconforming persons understand themselves in Bangladesh. Further, class position mediates to a significant degree the reception, appropriation or rejection of transnational categories such as MSM and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT). The tension is reflected in the sometimes fraught relations between service providers to MSM, the people they serve and an emerging group who identify as LGBT.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A simple politics of recognition will be inadequate to the task of promoting health and human rights for all; such a strategy would effectively exclude individuals who do not necessarily connect their sexual practices with a specific sexual or social identity.</p

Opposing effects of D-aspartic acid and nitric oxide on tuning of testosterone production in mallard testis during the reproductive cycle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>D-Aspartic acid (D-Asp) and nitric oxide (NO) play an important role in tuning testosterone production in the gonads of male vertebrates. In particular, D-Asp promotes either the synthesis or the release of testosterone, whereas NO inhibits it. In this study, we have investigated for the first time in birds the putative effects of D-Asp and NO on testicular testosterone production in relation to two phases of the reproductive cycle of the adult captive wild-strain mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) drake. It is a typical seasonal breeder and its cycle consists of a short reproductive period (RP) in the spring (April-May) and a non reproductive period (NRP) in the summer (July), a time when the gonads are quiescent. The presence and the localization of D-Asp and NO in the testis and the trends of D-Asp, NO and testosterone levels were assessed during the main phases of the bird's reproductive cycle. Furthermore, in vitro experiments revealed the direct effect of exogenously administered D-Asp and NO on testosterone steroidogenesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>By using immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques, we studied the presence and the distributional pattern of D-Asp and NO in the testes of RP and NRP drakes. D-Asp levels were evaluated by an enzymatic method, whereas NO content, via nitrite, was assessed using biochemical measurements. Finally, immunoenzymatic techniques determined testicular testosterone levels.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IHC analyses revealed the presence of D-Asp and NO in Leydig cells. The distributional pattern of both molecules was in some way correlated to the steroidogenic pathway, which is involved in autocrine testosterone production. Indeed, whereas NO was present only during the NRP, D-Asp was almost exclusively present during the RP. Consistently, the high testosterone testicular content occurring during RP was coupled to a high D-Asp level and a low NO content in the gonad. By contrast, in sexually inactive drakes (NRP), the low testosterone content in the gonad was coupled to a low D-Asp content and to a relatively high NO level. Consequently, to determine the exogenous effects of the two amino acids on testosterone synthesis, we carried out in vitro experiments using testis sections deriving from both the RP and NRP. When testis slices were incubated for 60 or 120 min with D-Asp, testosterone was enhanced, whereas in the presence of L-Arg, a precursor of NO, it was inhibited.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results provide new insights into the involvement of D-Asp and NO in testicular testosterone production in the adult captive wild-strain mallard drake. The localization of these two molecules in the Leydig cells in different periods of the reproductive cycle demonstrates that they play a potential role in regulating local testosterone production.</p