The effect of peer socioeconomic status on student achievement: a meta-analysis

Previous studies on the effects on students' test scores of their peers' socioeconomic status (SES) reported varying results. A meta-regression analysis including 30 studies on the topic shows that the compositional effect that researchers find is strongly related to how they measure SES and to their model choice. If they measure SES dichotomously (e.g. free lunch eligibility) or include several average SES-variables in one model, they find smaller effects than when using a composite that captures several SES-dimensions. Composition measured at cohort/school level is associated with smaller effects than composition measured at class level. Researchers estimating compositional effects without controlling for prior achievement or not taking into account the potential for omitted variables bias, risk overestimating the effect. Correcting for a large set of not well thought-over covariates may lead to an underestimation of the compositional effect, by artificially explaining away the effect. Little evidence was found that effect sizes differ with sample characteristics such as test type (language vs. math) and country. Estimates for a hypothetical study, making a number of "ideal" choices, suggest that peer SES may be an important determinant of academic achievement.

Peer Ethnicity and Achievement: a Meta-analysis Into the Compositional Effect

This study reports a meta-analysis on the effects of ethnic minority share in school on achievement test scores. Best evidence from the studies that have appeared thus far on this topic shows that these compositional effects appear small in general, but may be larger when the ethnic minority group is African Americans in the USA, than when the minority group consists of immigrants. A high share of students from an ethnic minority group seems to affect the achievement from students belonging to the same ethnic group more, than the achievement of students belonging to the ethnic majority or to other ethnic minority groups. Effects of the share of immigrants on test scores of ethnic majority students even seem to be close to zero. Several robustness checks confirm our results. The review concludes with a discussion of implications for research and policy practice.academic achievement, meta-analysis, racial composition, school segregation, ethnic groups

Emission reduction potentials for academic conference travel

Air travel, including academic conference travel, is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and must be limited to achieve climate change targets. To model reduction potentials, we analyzed travel emissions for three global conferences of the International Society for Industrial Ecology. Travel emissions were 722–955 t CO2e per conference and averaged 1.3–1.8 t CO2e per attendee. A shift to land transport for short flights has a maximum reduction potential of only 5% because long‐haul flights contribute most of the emissions. A carbon tax of 100$/t CO2e could reduce emissions by 4–14% but students face the largest relative increase in the cost of conference attendance. Having the 10% of attendees who travel furthest attend virtually reduces conference travel emissions by 20–30%. A multi‐site conference with two video‐linked locations yields a reduction of 25–50%; a three‐site conference yields a reduction of 46–75% and combined with a shift to land transport a reduction of up to 82%. A virtual conference would yield zero travel emissions. We conclude that the effectiveness of the reduction options mostly depends on how international the conference is and whether the longest flights are eliminated. We call on conference organizers, universities, academic societies, and funders to further develop, support, and implement multi‐site and virtual conference models. This article met the requirements for a gold–silver JIE data openness badge described in http://jie.click/badges

Global life cycle paper flows, recycling metrics and material efficiency

Despite major improvements in recycling over the last decades, the pulp and paper sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pressures. Further reduction of virgin material requirements and environmental impacts requires a detailed understanding of the global material flows in paper production and consumption. This study constructs a Sankey diagram of global material flows in the paper life cycle, from primary inputs to end-of-life waste treatment, based on a review of publicly available data. It then analyses potential improvements in material flows and discusses recycling and material efficiency metrics. The article argues that the use of the collection rate as a recycling metric does not directly stimulate avoidance of virgin inputs and associated impacts. An alternative metric compares paper for recycling (recovered paper) with total fibrous inputs and indicates that the current rate is at just over half of the technical potential. Material efficiency metrics are found to be more useful if they relate to the reuse potential of wastes. The material balance developed in this research provides a solid basis for further study of global sustainable production and consumption of paper. The conclusions on recycling and efficiency should be considered for improving environmental performance assessment methods

Dom Stabiliteitspact

Aanvankelijk vervulde het Stabiliteitspact een nuttige functie: duidelijke regels waarborgden de monetaire integratie. Door de vergrijzing en de conjuncturele verslechtering is het Pact aan herziening toe. Meer ruimte voor stabilisatiebeleid en het mede beschouwen van de pensioensituatie zijn belangrijker dan strikte naleving van het Pact omwille van geloofwaardigheid

Lymphoid Microenvironments in the Thymus and Lymph Node

The three-dimensional architecture of the thymus and mesenteric lymph node reveals several different stromal cell types important in the development and function of T cells. In the thymic cortex, T cells proliferate and differentiate in a meshwork of epithelial-reticular cells. They then migrate towards the medulla where they may interact with interdigitating cells. T cells migrate from the thymus through perivascular spaces, surrounding large vessels at the cortico-medullary boundary. In this area also large thymic cystic cavities are found, their function remains at present unclear. Mature selected T cells leave the thymus most probably by the venous bloodstream, to enter peripheral lymph nodes. Upon entering the lymph node they cross the wall of high endothelial venules. On the other hand, lymph enters the node by afferent lymphatics draining into various types of sinuses. Here, macrophages are strategically located to phagocytose and process antigen. These cells then expose antigen to T cells and B cells within the lymph node parenchyma, thus creating a microenvironment for the onset of an immune response. The various microenvironments important in T cell development and T cell function are shown in this paper using scanning electron microscopy as a dissecting tool. We discuss our morphological findings in the light of recent data on the physiology of T cell differentiation and function

Physical therapists’ perspectives of patient values and their place in clinical practice:a qualitative study

Background: In physical therapy practice patients and therapists exchange their perspectives on musculoskeletal health problems and their meaning for both of them. However, literature indicates that physical therapists find it difficult to enquire about the patients’ values during clinical encounters. Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain deeper insight into the perspectives of physical therapists about patient values. Design:Explorative qualitative focus group study. Method: Twenty-three physical therapists were interviewed in the Netherlands from March to May 2021. Two researchers analyzed the interviews and derived relevant codes. After an iterative process of comparing, analyzing, conceptualizing and discussing the codes, themes were identified through a thematic framework, illustrated with meaningful quotes. Results: Three major themes were identified: Humane, Tacit, and Responsive. It appeared that patient values play unconsciously a major role in daily practice and are associated with humanity, not technical or procedural aspects of the encounter. Responsive denotes that all values require interaction in which aligning with the individual patient forms the basis of treatment. Barriers for being responsive are identified as subthemes: Choices, Trust, Diverseness, and Boundaries. Conclusion: The concept of patient values appeared to be implicit. The professional intuitively attunes as a fellow human being to values and expectations of the individual patient. This study contributes to finding a balance and mutual reinforcement of implicit and explicit knowledge. With all found experiences and insights the concept of patient values became more explicit in physical therapy to create a framework for education and research in the future.</p

Inhibition of proliferation and differentiation during early T cell development by anti-transferrin receptor antibody

Proliferating cells require iron and, therefore, express the transferrin receptor (CD71) that mediates cellular iron uptake. Cycling thymocytes, which have the CD4−8−3−, CD4−8+3−, or CD4+8+3− phenotypes, also express CD71. The importance of CD71-mediated iron uptake for proliferation and maturation of thymocytes was studied using fetal thymus organ cultures at day 14 of gestation and treating them for 7 days with a CD71 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The intracellular iron deficiency caused by this treatment, inhibits both proliferation and maturation of the thymocytes. Cell recovery was reduced by 60%, but cells still expanded tenfold during the culture. Remarkably, the final maturation of αβ T cells was completely blocked as no thymocytes with low or high CD3/αβTcR expression developed. Moreover, only few cells reached the CD4+8+3− stage of T cell development. CD4−8−3− thymocytes, however, as well as its CD44−25+ subset developed in normal numbers, suggesting that CD44−25+ CD4−8−3− cells, or their immediate progeny, were most vulnerable to CD71 mAb treatment. The development of γδ T cells, which also express CD71, was not affected in these cultures. This suggests that γδ T cells are either less iron-dependent or possess alternative iron-uptake mechanisms. Thus, our observation

Кон'юнктурний аналіз розвитку ринку рекреаційних послуг АР Крим

Метою дослідження є кон’юнктурний аналіз розвитку ринку рекреаційних послуг АР Крим та порівняльна оцінка функціонування конкурентоспроможних рекреаційних районів