An analysis of spending patterns in dissimilar revenue school districts in the state of Michigan

The primary purpose of this study was to compare two districts with somewhat similar demographics but with dissimilar revenues to see whether or not additional funding per child resulted in enhanced learning opportunities for students in the higher funded district. In addition, although not a primary function of this study, student achievement was considered as a possible outcome for students who had enhanced learning opportunities. Because public school funding is determined by policy makers, three public policy questions were the basis for comparing the two districts. The three questions were as follows: (a) Should a child’s zip code determine the amount of money spent on his/her education? (b) Is the current minimum funding provided to the majority of schools in the state of Michigan “adequate”? and (c) Do schools that receive more than the minimum funding per student use that money to provide enhanced learning opportunities for their students? The specific enhanced learning opportunities that were examined in this study were as follows: (a) K-3class size; (b) special reading programs, especially in lower elementary; (c) advanced placement/honor classes; (d) foreign language courses; (e) music, art, and athletics; and (f) continued teacher learning. The results of this study revealed that the higher funded school district provided enhanced learning opportunities to a much greater degree than did the lower funded school district. The only area that was comparable was that of K-3class size. It was very evident that the higher funded school district spent its additional funding on areas that benefited students. This may be one of the reasons that the students in the higher funded school district had much higher MEAP and standardized test scores

Biomarkers of kidney integrity in children and adolescents with dental amalgam mercury exposure: findings from the casa pia children’s amalgam trial.

Mercury is toxic to the kidney, and dental amalgam is a source of mercury exposure. Few studies have evaluated the effects of dental amalgam on kidney function in a longitudinal context in children. Here, we evaluated urinary concentrations of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) α and π as biomarkers of renal proximal and distal tubular integrity, respectively, and albumin as a biomarker of glomerular integrity in children and adolescents 8-18 years of age over a 7 year course of dental amalgam treatment. Five hundred seven children, 8-12 years of age at baseline, participated in a clinical trial to evaluate the neurobehavioral and renal effects of dental amalgam in children. Subjects were randomized to either dental amalgam or resin composite treatments. Urinary GSTs α and π, albumin and creatinine concentrations were measured at baseline and annually on all subjects. Results were evaluated using linear regression analysis. GST-α concentrations were similar between treatment groups and in each sex and race (white vs nonwhite) group in each follow-up year. GST-π levels tended upward over the course of follow-up by 4- to 6-fold. This increase was seen in all groups irrespective of treatment, race or gender. Females had GST-π levels approximately twice those of males at all ages. Albumin concentrations were constant throughout the follow-up period and did not differ by treatment, although females had 39% higher albumin levels than males. Additionally, we found no significant effects of amalgam treatment on the proportion of children with microalbuminuria (>30 mg/g creatinine). These findings are relevant within the context of children’s health risk assessment as relates to the safety of mercury exposure from dental amalgam on kidney function. These data also provide normative values for sensitive indices of renal functional integrity that may serve in the evaluation of children and adolescents with renal disorders.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Technology of thick-film electroluminescent animated advertising

Because of the undeniable advantages of powder electroluminescent light sources the authors have designed and tested an animated thick film electroluminescent advertising panel. The paper describes the design steps and phases of the technological process. Finally, the brightness characteristics and influence of color translucent inks covering the segments are presented. The expected life time of the electroluminescent structure under normal exploitation conditions is evaluated

“Everybody puts their whole life on facebook”: Identity management and the online social networks of LGBTQ youth

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and young adults almost inevitably “come out”, or self-disclose their identity to others. Some LGBTQ youth are more uniformly “out”, while others may disclose to some groups but not others. This selective disclosure is complicated on real name social media sites, which tend to encourage a unified presentation of self across social contexts. We explore these complications with a cohort of LBGTQ youth on Facebook (N = 199, Mage= 24.13). Herein we ask: How do LBGTQ youth manage the disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity to different people in their lives? Further, are there identifiable differences in the online social network structure for LGBTQ youth who manage outness in different ways? Finally, how do LGBTQ young people describe their experiences on Facebook? We answer these questions using a mixed methods approach, combining statistical cluster analysis, network visualization, and qualitative data. Our findings illustrate patterns in network structure by outness cluster type, highlighting both the work involved in managing one’s online identity as well as the costs to (semi-) closeted individuals including a considerably lower overall network connectivity. In particular, outness to family characterized LGBTQ young people’s experiences on Facebook

Relationships between diets and the quality of life to women aged 50 to 64

Background. Adverse effects of numerous environmental factors, including improperly balanced diets, may accelerate the onset of ailments related to the climacteric period. Objective. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between diets and the quality of life of working women aged 50-64 years. Material and methods.The study included 274 working women aged 55.4±4.0 years living in Biała Podlaska and the surrounding area. These were women working in various positions (teaching, administrative, economic department) at the State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska, Poland and patients of the Health and Rehabilitation Centre in Biała Podlaska. The study was conducted by means of a popular tool used to diagnose quality of life i.e. SF-36 questionnaire (Short Form Health Survey) and the Questionnaire of Eating Behaviour (QEB). Results. In all categories of quality of life (SF-36), apart from pain and general health, there were statistically significant differences between the results of the respondents and the norm for Polish women aged 50 to 60 years. Fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread were the most frequently consumed products in the healthy diet group, while legumes, fish and curd cheese were the least frequently consumed by the respondents. Of the unhealthy products, the women most often chose sweets (at least once a week), cheese and fried food. Analysis of the effect of a healthy diet on the quality of life showed that a statistically significant correlations were observed in the case of mental health, functioning in society, emotionality, vitality, and well-being. Conclusions. A positive correlation with the application of a healthy diet was observed in all the categories of quality of life. This means that the respondents with healthy diets had a higher quality of life.Wprowadzenie. Niekorzystne oddziaływanie licznych czynników środowiskowych, w tym stosowanie niewłaściwie zbilansowanej diety może przyspieszać pojawienie się dolegliwości związanych z okresem klimakterium. Cel badań. Celem badań była weryfikacja zależności pomiędzy spożywaną dietą a jakością życia kobiet w wieku 50-64 lata aktywnych zawodowo. Materiał i metody. Badaniami objęto 274 kobiety w wieku 55,4±4,0 lat, aktywne zawodowo zamieszkujące Białą Podlaską i okolice. Były to osoby pracujące na różnych stanowiskach (dydaktycznych, administracyjnych, działu gospodarczego) w Państwowej Szkole Wyższej w Białej Podlaskiej oraz pacjentki korzystające z usług Centrum Zdrowia i Rehabilitacji w Białej Podlaskiej. Badania dokonano za pomocą narzędzia używanego do diagnozy jakości życia - kwestionariusza SF-36 Short Form Health Survey oraz kwestionariusza QEB do badania zachowań żywieniowych i opinii na temat żywności (QEB – Questionnaire of Eating Behaviour). Wyniki. We wszystkich kategoriach jakości życia (SF-36), poza „bólem” i „zdrowiem ogólnym”, odnotowano różnice istotne statystycznie pomiędzy wynikami respondentek i normą dla polskich kobiet w wieku 50-60 lat. Najczęściej spożywanymi przez badane kobiety produktami z grupy prozdrowotnej są owoce, warzywa i pieczywo razowe, natomiast najrzadziej potrawy z nasion strączkowych, ryby oraz sery twarogowe. Z produktów niezdrowych najczęściej badane kobiety sięgają po słodycze, sery żółte i potrawy smażone. Analizując wpływ diety prozdrowotnej na jakość życia respondentek odnotowano istotną statystycznie zależność w przypadku zdrowia psychicznego, funkcjonowania w społeczeństwie, emocjonalności, witalności oraz samopoczucia. Wnioski. We wszystkich ww. kategoriach jakości życia odnotowano dodatnią korelację ze stosowaniem prozdrowotnej diety. Oznacza to, że respondentki, które odżywiają się zdrowo posiadają wyższą jakość życia