Effects of School Absences on GPAs for Disabled Students

Chronic absences, suspensions, and expulsions can all be detrimental to students’ GPAs. Students with disabilities have a disadvantage with learning and require additional services making it crucial that they are present in school. There are various reasons why students miss school and the study examined a few specific research questions. The current investigation examined students’ current GPA scores in the core content areas compared to the number of days absent from school, the frequency of health related school absences, and the number of days spent out of school due to suspensions and expulsions, using data from a national data set. This investigation examines whether or not attendance is related to students’ academic success, when specifically considering students with identified disabilities

Uptake of trace elements by food crops grown within the Kilembe copper mine catchment, Western Uganda

The mining and processing of copper from the Kilembe mine between 1956 and 1982 left behind millions of tons of cupriferous and cobalt ferrous mine tailings within the Kilembe mine catchment. Subsequent erosion and deposition of the tailings into adjacent areas led to increased concentrations of Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, and Pb in the catchment soils. The Kilembe catchment is utilised for subsistence farming, producing mainly food crops, but there are also a number of settlements in the contaminated area. A study was conducted in 2016 to establish the concentrations of trace elements in a range of food crops grown within the catchment. Samples of maize, bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, ground nuts, amaranthus, onions, beans and yams were collected, washed and oven dried at 80 °C. The dried foods were finely ground, microwave- digested in nitric acid and analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). All the foods grown in contaminated soils showed instances of higher concentrations of Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, and in some cases Pb, compared with controls grown in uncontaminated soils. Amaranthus accumulated a range of trace elements with 26% of the samples exceeding EC thresholds for Cu in vegetables of 26 mg kg−1.Other crops with elemental concentrations exceeding recommended thresholds in some of the samples included beans (Zn), yams (Zn and Pb) and ground nuts (Zn). The concentrations of trace elements in onions, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas and maize were not significantly different from controls. However, strong and positive correlations between the trace elements were found in beans, yams, amaranthus, maize and ground nuts, suggesting a common source of trace metals. There was strong evidence of soil dust retention on leaf vegetables (Amaranthus) despite washing. The accumulation of trace elements in the edible parts of vegetables and foods could have a direct impact on the health of local people, because the foods produced from gardens are mostly consumed locally

The Development of Social Competence in Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities experience unique challenges in developing social skills critical to achieve their social goals. Although there are individual differences, children with delays and disabilities may struggle to communicate with others, understand gestures, and take other people’s viewpoints. These differences may prevent children with disabilities from initiating and sustaining social interactions and, in turn, from developing high levels of social competence (Hebbeler & Spiker, 2016). To support social development of children with disabilities, it is important to promote positive relationships within the family system as well as the teaching of social skills in inclusive early learning environments (Mahoney et al., 2020). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a framework for supporting social emotional learning (SEL) from preschool through high school and across home and school settings (Weissberg et al., 2013). CASEL focuses on five SEL core competencies that include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These social and emotional competencies provide a foundation for children to adjust to challenges, develop positive relationships with peers and adults, and engage in learning tasks in ways that can benefit children with disabilities (Durlak et al., 2011). In this chapter, we first introduce two theoretical frameworks that can guide research and practice relevant to social competence of children with disabilities. Second, we discuss personal and contextual factors that either facilitate or hinder social development of children with disabilities in everyday interactions. Third, we address cultural understandings of disability that influence children’s socialization within family and community contexts. Finally, we conclude with the implications of using social intervention approaches for children with disabilities in home, school, and community-based contexts

Chemical and isotopic fractionation of lead in the surface soils of Egypt

Chemical fractionation via sequential extraction (SEP) combined with isotopic analysis of Pb was used to investigate the origins and reactivity of Pb in 66 topsoil samples collected from 12 different locations in Egypt. The total soil Pb concentrations (TPb) covered a wide range (∼80–16,000 mg kg−1), but were only elevated in four industrial and urban locations within Cairo and Alexandria. In all the other locations values of TPb were generally low and were close to the average crustal Pb concentration of 14 mg kg−1. The largest Pb fraction in all soils, with the exception of two industrial locations, was the ‘residual’ fraction (38–63% of TPb) followed by Pb bound to ‘organic’ and ‘metal oxide’ phases. The Pb isotopic signatures (206Pb/207Pb vs 208Pb/207Pb) of all samples in all SEP fractions were highly variable, suggesting a heterogeneous mix of Pb contamination sources; however, they aligned closely to a binary mixing line between geogenic and petrol Pb sources. There were similar Pb isotopic patterns across all of the non-residual fractions with measureable data (F2 – F4) suggesting that the non-residual anthropogenic-Pb and geogenic-Pb have been assimilated into common pools within the soil. Binary and ternary source-apportionment models based on Pb isotopic ratios and abundances showed that the relative contribution of petrol-Pb and geogenic-Pb can be ascribed with reasonable certainty. However, the contribution of further sources can only be accounted for if the isotopic abundance of all end-members are known and are at the periphery of the soils dataset

A cross-sectional analysis of ITN and IRS coverage in Namibia in 2013.

BACKGROUND: Achieving vector control targets is a key step towards malaria elimination. Because of variations in reporting of progress towards vector control targets in 2013, the coverage of these vector control interventions in Namibia was assessed. METHODS: Data on 9846 households, representing 41,314 people, collected in the 2013 nationally-representative Namibia Demographic and Health Survey were used to explore the coverage of two vector control methods: indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Regional data on Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate in those aged 2-10 years (PfPR2-10), obtained from the Malaria Atlas Project, were used to provide information on malaria transmission intensity. Poisson regression analyses were carried out exploring the relationship between household interventions and PfPR2-10, with fully adjusted models adjusting for wealth and residence type and accounting for regional and enumeration area clustering. Additionally, the coverage as a function of government intervention zones was explored and models were compared using log-likelihood ratio tests. RESULTS: Intervention coverage was greatest in the highest transmission areas (PfPR2-10 ≥ 5%), but was still below target levels of 95% coverage in these regions, with 27.6% of households covered by IRS, 32.3% with an ITN and 49.0% with at least one intervention (ITN and/or IRS). In fully adjusted models, PfPR2-10 ≥ 5% was strongly associated with IRS (RR 14.54; 95% CI 5.56-38.02; p < 0.001), ITN ownership (RR 5.70; 95% CI 2.84-11.45; p < 0.001) and ITN and/or IRS coverage (RR 5.32; 95% CI 3.09-9.16; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of IRS and ITN interventions in 2013 did not reflect the Namibian government intervention targets. As such, there is a need to include quantitative monitoring of such interventions to reliably inform intervention strategies for malaria elimination in Namibia

Determining the fate of selenium in wheat biofortification: an isotopically labelled field trial study

Aims The principal aim of this research was to quantify retention of a single, realistic Se biofortification application (10 g ha-1) in contrasting soils over two growing seasons utilizing an enriched stable Se isotope (77Se) to discriminate between applied Se and native soil Se. Methods Isotopically enriched 77Se (Na2SeO4) was applied (10 g ha-1) to four replicate plots (2 m x 2 m) of winter wheat, on three contrasting soils on the University of Nottingham farm (UK), at early stem extension in May 2012. Labelled 77Se was assayed in soil and crop fractions by ICP-MS. Results Topsoil retained a proportion of applied Se at harvest (c. 15 – 31 %) with only minor retention in subsoil (2-4 %), although losses were 37 – 43 %. Further analysis of topsoil 77Se, the following spring, and at second harvest, suggested that labelled Se retained in soil was25 fixed and uptake by a following crop was negligible. Conclusions Prolonged biofortification leads to accumulation of Se in soil but the retained Se has very low bioavailability and mobility. The time required to double the soil Se content would be about 500 years. However, reincorporation of cereal straw could provide a residual source of Se for a following crop, depending on timing and management

A stable isotope approach to accurately determine iron and zinc bioaccessibility in cereals and legumes based on a modified INFOGEST static in vitro digestion method

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The establishment of the INFOGEST in vitro static digestion method, a standardized international consensus, was an important milestone in the field of food digestion. We evaluated the contribution of iron and zinc in reagents used in the INFOGEST method in relation to sample iron and zinc and the potential interference of reagent-derived iron and zinc with bioaccessibility measurements. In most cases, reagent-derived iron and zinc contributed more than 50% of the total iron or zinc in the digesta containing selected cereals and legumes. Moreover, the chemical behaviour of reagent-derived iron and zinc was matrix dependent such that the application of a blanket blank correction was not appropriate. We therefore propose an improved approach involving isotopic labelling of reagent iron and zinc in order to discriminate between reagent-derived and sample-derived iron and zinc in each matrix. This stable isotope approach could improve the accuracy and reliability of iron and zinc bioaccessibility studies

Pulsatile luteinizing hormone disruption in depression

Two independent groups recently published data comparing pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) release between depressed and control women. Despite similar populations and LH sampling frequency, they reached different conclusions: Meller et al. [Am. J. Psych. 154 (1997) 1454] found disruption of normal LH pulsatility in depressed women, whereas Young et al. [Arch. Gen. Psych. 57 (2000) 1157] did not. To resolve this discrepancy, the current study applies a single, well-established statistical method, spectral analysis, to the two data sets and concludes that both depressed populations display significantly altered LH pulsatile release.NIMH MH50030Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/49487/2/YoungandGrambsch.pd

Lability of Pb in soil: effects of soil properties and contaminant source

Environmental Context: There is growing concern that lead (Pb) in the environment may cause adverse health effects in human populations. We investigated the combined use of isotopic abundance and isotopic dilution to show how the origins of soil Pb and soil characteristics affect lability. Soil pH and soil Pb content are the dominant controls on Pb lability; the lability of recent petrol-derived Pb is similar to that of other sources in urban soils but greater than geogenic Pb in rural roadside topsoils. Lability of lead (Pb) in soils is influenced by both soil properties and source(s) of contamination. We investigated factors controlling Pb lability in soils from (i) land adjacent to a major rural road, (ii) a sewage processing farm and (iii) an archive of the geochemical survey of London. We measured isotopically exchangeable Pb (E-values; PbE), phase fractionation of Pb by a sequential extraction procedure (SEP) and inferred source apportionment from measured Pb isotopic ratios. Isotopic ratios (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb) of total soil Pb fell on a mixing line between those of petrol and UK coal or Pb ore. The main determinant of the isotopically exchangeable Pb fraction (%E-value) was soil pH: %E-values decreased with increasing pH. In rural roadside topsoils and there was also evidence that, petrol-derived Pb remained more labile (35%) than Pb from soil parent material (27%). However, in biosolid-amended and London soils %E-values were low (c. 25%), covered a restricted range, and showed no clear evidence of source-dependent lability

Characterization of Retinal Structure in ATF6-Associated Achromatopsia.

PurposeMutations in six genes have been associated with achromatopsia (ACHM): CNGA3, CNGB3, PDE6H, PDE6C, GNAT2, and ATF6. ATF6 is the most recent gene to be identified, though thorough phenotyping of this genetic subtype is lacking. Here, we sought to test the hypothesis that ATF6-associated ACHM is a structurally distinct form of congenital ACHM.MethodsSeven genetically confirmed subjects from five nonconsanguineous families were recruited. Foveal hypoplasia and the integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) band (a.k.a., IS/OS) were graded from optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Images of the photoreceptor mosaic were acquired using confocal and nonconfocal split-detection adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Parafoveal cone and rod density values were calculated and compared to published normative data as well as data from two subjects harboring CNGA3 or CNGB3 mutations who were recruited for comparative purposes. Additionally, nonconfocal dark-field AOSLO images of the retinal pigment epithelium were obtained, with quantitative analysis performed in one subject with ATF6-ACHM.ResultsFoveal hypoplasia was observed in all subjects with ATF6 mutations. Absence of the EZ band within the foveal region (grade 3) or appearance of a hyporeflective zone (grade 4) was seen in all subjects with ATF6 using OCT. There was no evidence of remnant foveal cone structure using confocal AOSLO, although sporadic cone-like structures were seen in nonconfocal split-detection AOSLO. There was a lack of cone structure in the parafovea, in direct contrast to previous reports.ConclusionsOur data demonstrate a near absence of cone structure in subjects harboring ATF6 mutations. This implicates ATF6 as having a major role in cone development and suggests that at least a subset of subjects with ATF6-ACHM have markedly fewer cellular targets for cone-directed gene therapies than do subjects with CNGA3- or CNGB3-ACHM