School Effects on the Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents

Well-being is a multidimensional construct, with psychological, physical and social components. As theoretical basis to help understand this concept and how it relates to school, we propose the Self-Determination Theory, which contends that self-determined motivation and personality integration, growth and well-being are dependent on a healthy balance of three innate psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness and competence. Thus, current indicators involve school effects on children’s well-being, in many diverse modalities which have been explored. Some are described in this chapter, mainly: the importance of peer relationships; the benefits of friendship; the effects of schools in conjunction with some forms of family influence; the school climate in terms of safety and physical ecology; the relevance of the teacher input; the school goal structure and the implementation of cooperative learning. All these parameters have an influence in promoting optimal functioning among children and increasing their well-being by meeting the above mentioned needs. The empirical support for the importance of schools indicates significant small effects, which often translate into important real-life effects as it is admitted at present. The conclusion is that schools do make a difference in children’s peer relationships and well-being

Solid Infrastructure financing for an efficient rail system

Issue paper presented at the high-level lunch-debate on rail infrastructure financing organised on 3 March 2015, SNCF, BrusselsEconomics of Technology and InnovationOrganisation and Governanc

Measurement of in-situ oxygen isotope ratios in monazite by SHRIMP ion microprobe: Standards, protocols and implications

Monazite forms at sub-solidus conditions in a variety of metamorphic rocks and has been proven to be reactive to fluids, and thus is a potential monitor of fluid-rock interaction. As monazite can preserve multiple growth zones, in order to explore the potential of monazite as a fluid tracer in metamorphic conditions, microbeam analysis is required. We performed oxygen isotope analysis of monazite using the SHRIMP ion microprobe and newly characterized standards, for which we obtained laser fluorination δ18O values (USGS-44069 monazite 7.67±0.26‰ and Itambé monazite 0.46±0.20‰). Reproducibility of δ18O ion microprobe analyses for USGS-44069 and Itambé monazites is in the order of 0.4-0.6‰, standard deviation at 95%c.l., similar to what is routinely obtained for silicates. This reproducibility is comparable to that of the analyses of experimental P-rich glasses, which are assumed to be homogeneous and free of geological imperfections. The variable composition of natural monazite has the potential to produce matrix effects during ion microprobe measurements. Monazite grains from the Malagasy syenite (Madagascar) and the Dora Maira whiteschists (Italy) display a scatter in δ18O values that show a negative correlation with Th content and is related to the huttonite [ThSiO4] and cheralite [CaTh(PO4)2] substitutions in monazite. The matrix effect on oxygen isotope measurements can be significant and is estimated to produce a shift in δ18O of circa -0.85 or -1.9‰ for every 10wt.% Th introduced by the huttonite and cheralite components, respectively. Corrections for this matrix effect are proposed on the basis of the natural samples investigated.Oxygen isotope fractionation factors for monazites of different compositions, cheralite and huttonite were calculated with the increment method. The results suggest that the substitution of trivalent LREE by tetravalent Ce and Th results in consistent enrichment of 18O in the monazites, whereas the substitution of tetravalent Th by divalent Ca results in the depletion of 18O in cheralite-rich monazite.Monazites from high-grade metasediments (Mount-Stafford, Central Australia) preserve inherited cores, but are homogeneous in oxygen composition. This suggests that diffusion may efficiently erase the oxygen isotope signature in monazite that experienced ~. 800. °C metamorphism