Québec's Childcare Universal Low Fees Policy 10 Years After: Effects, Costs and Benefits

More than ten years ago the province of Québec implemented a universal early childhood education and care policy. This paper examines if the two objectives pursued, to increase mothers’ participation in the labour market (balance the needs of workplace and home) and to enhance child development and equality of opportunity for children, were reasonable meet. A non-experimental evaluation framework based on multiple pre- and post-treatment periods is used to estimate the policy effects. First, year after year the number of children and their weekly of hours in childcare have increased. More preschool children are in non-parental childcare at a younger age and the intensity of childcare has increased over the years. Second, the policy has significantly increased the labour force participation and annual weeks worked for mothers with at least a child aged 1 to 4 years compared to mothers in the same situation in the Rest of Canada. Third, the evidence presented show that the policy has not enhanced school readiness or child early literacy skills in general, with negative significant effects on the PPVT scores of children aged 5 and possibly negative for children of age 4. Simulations show the bounds of the public benefits in terms of additional net taxes (income taxes less refundable credits and transfers based on household’s “net” income). Unless one suppose that mothers in the upper part of the earnings distribution are those who returned early to the labour market after giving birth or a maternity leave, and who have worked more weeks, the effect on governments revenues are modest. The main beneficiary of the larger tax base of a higher labour supply of mothers with young children is the federal government which do not support the significant public funding of the program. The policy has some drawbacks in terms of social efficiency and equity. The structure of the program with its very low $7/day fee before taxes creates strong incentives for families to use long hours of daycare for children at a very young age, which may not be the best mechanism for children development. The high transfers in-kind (1.9 billion in 2009) to families using subsidized childcare raise the question of their horizontal and vertical equity. The paper concludes on three modifications to the program that could correct some of its weaknesses.Childcare policy, mother’s labour supply, preschool children and school readiness, treatment effects, natural experiment

Tissue Tracking Imaging for Identifying the Origin of Idiopathic Ventricular Arrhythmias: A New Role of Cardiac Ultrasound in Electrophysiology

Several strategies for mapping ventricular outflow tract tachycardia have been reported as useful indices for differentiating between those originating from the right and the left side. Recently, tissue tracking imaging (TTI) has been demonstrated as a novel non-invasive modality for identifying the origin of outflow tract tachycardias. Tissue tracking imaging is an ultrasonographic technique that measures the myocardial motion amplitude towards the transducer in each region during systole, identifying regional myocardial displacement on the basis of myocardial velocities using color Doppler myocardial imaging principles. In this technique, the origin of the arrhythmia could be recognized as the site where the earliest color-coded signal (ECCS) appeared on the myocardium at the onset of the systole. In preliminary studies this modality was found to be useful in differentiating out flow tract ventricular tachycardias. ECCS was always found below or at the level of the pulmonary valve in all arrhythmias which could be ablated from the right ventricular outflow tract, while in those where the origin was above the pulmonary valve could be ablated from the left sinus of valsalva. These results indicate that TTI can provide detailed and accurate information on the arrhythmia origin of OT-VT and may be useful for differentiating between an OT-VT originating from the LV epicardium remote from the LSV and that from the LSV. Newer advances in echocardiographic technologies like high resolution, high frame rate real time three dimensional echocardiography with speckle tracking may further improve the precise localization of arrhythmias in the future

Alien Registration- Roy, Francis M. (Madawaska, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/35205/thumbnail.jp

Peak analysis in gas chromatography and the development of new stationary phases for anion chromatography

Causes of band broadening in capillary, gas chromatography are investigated. Using the Golay equation, it is shown that the presence of a diluent significantly increases the extra-column variance, in early eluting peaks, when a liquid injection is used. The cause of this phenomenon is also discussed;A mathematical method based on an iterative method is developed to obtain the correct hold-up time of a capillary column using a flame ionization detector. This method takes advantage of the programmable ability of a common, hand-held calculator. Also discussed is the application of this method for calculating Kovats indices and the calculation of capacity factors;The injection peak in single-column, anion exchange chromatography is used to quantitatively determine simple mixtures of cations in solution. By preparing the sample so that it contains the same concentration and pH value of eluent ions as the mobile phase, it is shown that the injection peak area is proportional to the concentration of cations and dependent on the type of cation present. Binary mixtures of salts in the presence of moderate amounts of acid or base can be quantitated by the combination of information from injection and sample peak areas;A new, low capacity, anion-exchange resin is developed which possesses a unique selectivity for sulfate and oxalate over bromide and nitrate. This low capacity resin makes it possible to separate dicarboxylic acids without interference from inorganic ions. This selectivity is shown to be caused by interaction between the resin matrix and large monovalent anions. This resin also makes it possible to use very short columns, which reduces the analysis time for many anions. Efficiency of this resin is shown to be quite good

Toni Morrison\u27s argument with the Other: Irony, metaphor, and whiteness

Black people, and blackness as a general symbol, has traditionally occupied a marginal or disadvantaged position in American literature, as opposed to representations of white people and whitness as a general symbol. Morrison\u27s fiction in effect reverses this representation and positions white people in the position of the Other

Profils des consommateurs de pornographie juvénile arrêtés au Québec : l’explorateur, le pervers et le polymorphe

La pornographie juvénile existe depuis fort longtemps, mais elle est devenue plus accessible depuis l’arrivée d’Internet. Dans le cadre de la présente étude, l’objectif principal est de décrire et d’analyser les caractéristiques des personnes qui ont été mises en cause dans une affaire de pornographie juvénile au Québec entre 1998 et 2004. L’échantillon final se compose de 192 sujets. Une analyse taxinomique utilisant différentes variables a été réalisée de manière à dégager une typologie des sujets. Les résultats dévoilent trois types de personnes soit l’explorateur, le pervers (solitaire ou organisé) et le polymorphe. Ces trois groupes se distinguent sur le plan de l’âge, des technologies utilisées et des antécédents criminels. Les sujets dits polymorphes, bien que peu nombreux, sont ceux qui ont le plus d’antécédents d’agressions sexuelles. Ce dernier groupe se distingue aussi par une histoire criminelle variée. Les limites des données sont abordées en conclusion.Child pornography has existed for a long time but has become more easily available since the arrival of the Internet. This study aims at describing the characteristics of persons arrested for a crime of child pornography in the province of Québec between 1998 and 2004. The final sample consists of 192 persons. A cluster analysis performed on various variables provided us with three distinct groups : the explorer, the pervert (isolated or organized) and the polymorph. These groups are mainly distinct on age, the technology used and their criminal career. The polymorphs, though they are less numerous, have the most important history of conviction in sexual and non-sexual crimes. This latest group possesses also a varied life history of crime. Limitations of the results are discussed in the conclusion