Disproportionate Representation of Preschool-Aged Children with Disabilities

Historically, students from ethnically diverse backgrounds in grades K-12 have been over-represented in special education, yet little research on disproportionate representation has been conducted with preschool-aged children. This study examined if 72,525 preschool-aged children with disabilities from ethnically diverse backgrounds were disproportionately represented in special education within and across five southern states. Data were gathered from the 2006 December 1st Child Count reported by each State Department of Education to the U.S. Department of Education. Chosen states offered state-funded pre-kindergarten programs, which should have provided equal opportunities for inclusion across states. Analyses compared children with disabilities for disproportionate representation across state of residence, across special education eligibilities, across educational placements, and amount of inclusion provided. Data were analyzed for child and placement characteristics. Due to data suppression by individual states, analyses were conducted using children from Black and White backgrounds, and children from Hispanic backgrounds were used when reported by individual states. Child characteristics considered included the child’s: (a) type of disability eligibility category, (b) age, and (c) ethnicity. Placement characteristics included: (a) type of educational placement, (b) state in which child resided, and (c) amount of inclusion received. Indices of disproportionate representation were calculated using: (a) composition index, (b) risk index, (c) odds ratio, and (d) relative risk ratio. A 3 x 5 ANOVA was used to calculate placement differences between states. Factorial analysis was used to calculate determinants of placement status for preschool-aged children with disabilities. Results revealed disproportionate representation does occur at the preschool level, although between state variability was great, and patterns differed from the K-12 literature. Children from American Indian backgrounds were over-represented due to high proportions in states of Alabama and North Carolina, while children from Asian and Hispanic backgrounds were under-represented. Children from Black and White backgrounds were represented in special education at expected rates. The most common eligibility categories were speech/language impairments and developmental delay. Placement results revealed over-representation for White preschoolers and males, although type of state-funded pre-k program was a non-significant factor. Inclusion analyses favored Whites and males. Child demographic factors explained the majority of variability in inclusion status

Antibacterial action of dental cements: An in vitro study

The antibacterial activity of seven commercialy available dental cements (Eugespad®, Dentical®, Dycal®, Expaliner®, PR. Scell®, PR. Base Cement®, PR. Lining Cement®) against 1) bacterial species implicated in carious lesions or in dental plaque (Actinomyces israelii ATCC 10048, Actinomyces viscosus ATCC 19246, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10557) and 2) bacterial samples of stimulated saliva was studied, in vitro, using a modification of the method of McComb and Ericson (1987).Dycal® and Expaliner® did not affect bacteria whereas the other dental cements displayed some antibacterial properties. Eugespad® was the most active followed by PR. Base Cement® + PR. Scell® + Dentical® and by PR. Lining Cement®.Associated with mechanical and biocompatibility properties, these differences could be taken into account when choosing a dental cement for clinical use.Le but de ce travail a été de comparer, in vitro, les éventuelles propriétés antibactériennes de différents ciments: 1 ciment ZOE (Eugespad®), 2 ciments à base d’hydroxyde de calcium (Dentical®, Dycal®), 3 ciments verre-ionomère (PR. glass ionomer LC®, PR. glass ionomer BC®, PR. Scell® glass ionomer) et un ciment adhésif (Expaliner®).Ces matériaux ont été testés vis-à-vis d’espèces bactériennes retrouvées dans la carie dentaire ou dans la plaque dentaire (Actinomyces viscosus ATCC 19246, Actinomyces israelii ATCC 10048, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10557) et des échantillons de salive totale.L’activité antibactérienne a été appréciée par une méthode d’inhibition de croissance en milieu solide dérivée de la technique des antibiogrammes (McComb, 1987). Chaque ciment, préparé selon les recommandations des fabricants, était déposé au fond d’un puits creusé dans une gélose (milieu de Schaedler enrichi avec du sang de mouton) ensemencée avec une préculture de 48 heures de l’une des souches bactériennes retenues. Après incubation à l’étuve à 37°C en anaérobiose, les diamètres des zones d’inhibition de croissance étaient mesurés au temps t = 48 heures. Pour chaque espèce et matériau testés, l’expérimentation a été répétée 10 fois.Parmi les sept matériaux testés, le Dycal® et l’Expaliner® n’ont entraîné aucune zone d’inhibition de croissance. Les plus fortes zones d’inhibition ont été obtenues avec le ciment ZOE. L’activité des quatre autres ciments a varié en fonction de la nature du ciment et de l’espèce bactérienne.Ces modifications d’activité pourraient, après confirmation de ces premiers résultats, être prises en compte dans le choix clinique d’un ciment dentaire

Les zoos, des passerelles entre nature et culture. L’exemple d’Amiens

Cet article rentre en dialogue avec la question lancée en 2005 dans les colonnes de la lettre de l’Ocim : Culture scientifique ou science culturelle ?  Intégrer les sciences dans un centre culturel était une gageure… 15 ans plus tard, le sujet est toujours d’actualité. Forte de son expérience, notamment au zoo d’Amiens, l’auteure propose ici une analyse inverse, en explorant le rôle possible de l’art dans un lieu de science

Uncovering the Effect of Toxicity on Player Engagement and its Propagation in Competitive Online Video Games

This article seeks to provide accurate estimates of the causal effect of exposure to toxic language on player engagement and the proliferation of toxic language. To this end, we analyze proprietary data from the first-person action video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, published by Activision. To overcome causal identification problems, we implement an instrumental variables estimation strategy. Our findings confirm that exposure to toxic language significantly affects player engagement and the probability that players use similar language. Accordingly, video game publishers have a vested interest in addressing toxic language. Further, we demonstrate that this effect varies significantly depending on whether toxic language originates from opponents or teammates, whether it originates from teammates in the same party or a different party, and the match's outcome. This has meaningful implications regarding how resources for addressing toxicity should be allocated

L’écriture de Michel Tournier : le baiser du vampire entre mélancolie et hystérie

Sous des allures qui peuvent sembler conventionnelles, l’écriture de Michel Tournier se révèle des plus originales. L’auteur pétrit patiemment – pour utiliser sa métaphore boulangère – les ingrédients de ses oeuvres, matériel hétéroclite fait de fragments et d’éléments composites recyclés, y ajoute des concepts et allusions philosophiques qu’il enfouit ensuite profondément sous les péripéties de ses histoires, pratiquant souvent le récit enchâssé, comme une réminiscence bienheureuse du foetus au coeur des limbes matriciels. Entraînée inexorablement dans un retour vers le pays de l’enfance et des origines, l’écriture de Tournier revisite à sa façon les imageries mythiques, les contes à valeur universelle et autres textes fondateurs, puis dissémine au fil des pages des références intertextuelles parfois discrètes, d’autres fois plus évidentes, pour le plus grand plaisir des lecteurs. Dans un processus de création longuement mûri, fécondé par la réécriture et les emprunts faits à d’autres auteurs, mais qui s’autoengendre aussi, se recréant à même ses propres textes, l’écrivain instaure un mouvement narratif fait d’échos scintillants, de répétitions et de commémoration. Sa prose danse d’une oeuvre à l’autre. Notre lecture soutient que cette dynamique textuelle particulière relève de deux grandes forces motrices thématisées dans l’oeuvre : d’une part, une énergie centripète – pulsion de mort mélancolique – qui affaiblit le désir d’écrire, voire finit par étouffer tout à fait la production, et d’autre part, un élan centrifuge – pulsion de vie hystérique – qui cherche par tous les moyens à nourrir la création. Dans leur nécessaire intrication, ces forces contraires – qui constituent les deux grandes parties de ce parcours d’analyse – traduisent à la fois la nostalgie des origines où clignote l’appel incessant de la mort et la fascination pour les miroirs où l’image volée s’absente, de même que le besoin viscéral d’un rendez-vous privilégié avec le lecteur. Mais pour s’assurer d’une existence sous le regard indispensable de ce dernier, encore faut-il le captiver, le capturer, le séduire. Créer une oeuvre qui embrase et embrasse. Le baiser du vampire

Essays on Political Accountability and Representation

This dissertation studies political accountability and representation, two fundamental principles of democratic government. It consists of four independent chapters, each structured as an academic article that addresses a distinct research question. The chapters are organized into two thematic sections. On the one hand, Chapters 1 and 2 study the Question Period, a key institution in Canadian politics, analyzing the behavior of its participants and its role in upholding political accountability and representation. In particular, Chapter 1 assesses how responsive politicians are to the public salience of climate change in determining which topics to address in their Question Period interventions. Chapter 2 proposes a new approach for measuring the quality of answers in political question-and-answer sessions with large language models, using the Question Period as a case study. On the other hand, Chapters 3 and 4 explore the tensions that may arise between political accountability and representation in a context of asymmetric information using theoretical models of political agency with adverse selection. Chapter 3 demonstrates that endogenous challenger entry generally weakens electoral accountability but may paradoxically improve policymaking and voter welfare. Chapter 4 investigates how candidates for elected office can strategically weaken electoral accountability by voluntarily pledging to self-imposed term limits to their benefit and that of voters

Mesure du hiatus dent-matériau de restauration: Intérêt du MEB

The purpose of this article was to describe a method of measuring the interface between cavity walls and restorative materials and to evaluate it by comparing the interface of amalgam, composite restorations and cavity walls. With the different restorative materials the interface could be measured. Its value was dependent of the type of restoration. This methodology is available for ail restorative biomaterials. It could be of interest in clinical evaluation of restorative materials.Cet article décrit une méthode de mesure du hiatus dent-matériau de reconstitution dentaire. Cette méthode a été évaluée en comparant les valeurs moyennes du hiatus au niveau de restaurations au composite et à l’amalgame. Quel que soit le matériau employé, un hiatus a pu être mis en évidence et mesuré. La valeur de cet hiatus dépend de la nature du matériau de restauration et varie en fonction du temps. Cette méthode, applicable à tous les matériaux d’obturation, pourrait représenter un critère supplémentaire dans l’évaluation d’un matériau d’obturation

Challenges in moderating disruptive player behavior in online competitive action games

Online competitive action games are a very popular form of entertainment. While most are respectfully enjoyed by millions of players, a small group of players engages in disruptive behavior, such as cheating and hate speech. Identifying and subsequently moderating these toxic players is a challenging task. Previous research has only studied specific aspects of this problem using curated data and with limited access to real-world moderation practices. In contrast, our work offers a unique and holistic view of the universal challenges of moderating disruptive behavior in online systems. We combine an analysis of a large dataset from a popular online competitive first-person action title (Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®II) with insights from stakeholders involved in moderation. We identify six universal challenges related to handling disruptive behaviors in such games. We discuss challenges omitted by prior work, such as handling high-volume imbalanced data or ensuring the comfort of human moderators. We also offer a discussion of possible technical, design, and policy approaches to mitigating these challenges

Sarilumab in patients admitted to hospital with severe or critical COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Background: Elevated proinflammatory cytokines are associated with greater COVID-19 severity. We aimed to assess safety and efficacy of sarilumab, an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, in patients with severe (requiring supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula or face mask) or critical (requiring greater supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal support) COVID-19. Methods: We did a 60-day, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational phase 3 trial at 45 hospitals in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Spain. We included adults (≥18 years) admitted to hospital with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and pneumonia, who required oxygen supplementation or intensive care. Patients were randomly assigned (2:2:1 with permuted blocks of five) to receive intravenous sarilumab 400 mg, sarilumab 200 mg, or placebo. Patients, care providers, outcome assessors, and investigators remained masked to assigned intervention throughout the course of the study. The primary endpoint was time to clinical improvement of two or more points (seven point scale ranging from 1 [death] to 7 [discharged from hospital]) in the modified intention-to-treat population. The key secondary endpoint was proportion of patients alive at day 29. Safety outcomes included adverse events and laboratory assessments. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04327388; EudraCT, 2020-001162-12; and WHO, U1111-1249-6021. Findings: Between March 28 and July 3, 2020, of 431 patients who were screened, 420 patients were randomly assigned and 416 received placebo (n=84 [20%]), sarilumab 200 mg (n=159 [38%]), or sarilumab 400 mg (n=173 [42%]). At day 29, no significant differences were seen in median time to an improvement of two or more points between placebo (12·0 days [95% CI 9·0 to 15·0]) and sarilumab 200 mg (10·0 days [9·0 to 12·0]; hazard ratio [HR] 1·03 [95% CI 0·75 to 1·40]; log-rank p=0·96) or sarilumab 400 mg (10·0 days [9·0 to 13·0]; HR 1·14 [95% CI 0·84 to 1·54]; log-rank p=0·34), or in proportions of patients alive (77 [92%] of 84 patients in the placebo group; 143 [90%] of 159 patients in the sarilumab 200 mg group; difference −1·7 [−9·3 to 5·8]; p=0·63 vs placebo; and 159 [92%] of 173 patients in the sarilumab 400 mg group; difference 0·2 [−6·9 to 7·4]; p=0·85 vs placebo). At day 29, there were numerical, non-significant survival differences between sarilumab 400 mg (88%) and placebo (79%; difference +8·9% [95% CI −7·7 to 25·5]; p=0·25) for patients who had critical disease. No unexpected safety signals were seen. The rates of treatment-emergent adverse events were 65% (55 of 84) in the placebo group, 65% (103 of 159) in the sarilumab 200 mg group, and 70% (121 of 173) in the sarilumab 400 mg group, and of those leading to death 11% (nine of 84) were in the placebo group, 11% (17 of 159) were in the sarilumab 200 mg group, and 10% (18 of 173) were in the sarilumab 400 mg group. Interpretation: This trial did not show efficacy of sarilumab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and receiving supplemental oxygen. Adequately powered trials of targeted immunomodulatory therapies assessing survival as a primary endpoint are suggested in patients with critical COVID-19. Funding: Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals