Early Grade Retention and Student Success: Evidence From Los Angeles

Analyzes risk factors of retention through third grade in the L.A. Unified School District, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, family income, and English learner status; retention's effectiveness in improving grade-level skills; and educators' views

Changing the Kindergarten Cutoff Date: Effects on California Students and Schools

Summarizes a review of research on how raising the kindergarten entry age affects elementary- and middle-school test scores; achievement gaps between subgroups; grade retention, high school graduation, and college enrollment rates; and wages as adults

Contributions of biotechnology to meeting future food and environmental security needs

Biotechnology, including genetic modifications, can play a vital role in helping to meet future food and environmental security needs for our growing population. The nature and use of biotechnology crops are described and related to aspects of food security. Biotechnological applications for food and animal feed are described, together with trends on global adoption of these crops. The benefits of biotechnology crops through increased yield, reduced pesticide use and decreased environmental damage are discussed. Examples of biotechnology crops which do not involve genetic modification are also described. Applications of biotechnology to drought and salt tolerance, and biofortification in which micronutrient content is enhanced are discussed. Emergent technologies such as RNA spraying technology, use of genome editing in agriculture and future targets for improved food and environmental security are considered

Pray for the People Who Feed You : Voices of Pauper Children in the Industrial Age

Following the Industrial Revolution in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, countries such as the United States and England experienced a widening gap between the rich industrialists and the impoverished working class. As a result, poverty quickly shifted from a localized problem to a national epidemic. Each country was faced with the challenges of addressing and alleviating poverty on a national scale. With a limited amount of resources, questions arose about who should receive relief. What should it look like? How should it be administered? And how would poverty and policy affect political, economic, social and familial structures? [excerpt]https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/artcatalogs/1016/thumbnail.jp

TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN SEVERANCE TAX REVENUES AND COAL MINING EMPLOYMENT

A severance tax can provide local jurisdictions with additional revenues to finance economic development, yet the imposition of a tax may create coal industry employment losses. This research analyzes this issue by examining the demand for Pennsylvania steam coal, providing estimates of the unconditional own-price elasticities of demand for coal in each of two demand regions. These estimates in conjunction with labor/output coefficient estimates are used to determine the extent to which coal employment in a region already witnessing slow mining industry growth will be negatively affected.Labor and Human Capital, Public Economics,

Preschool and School Readiness: Experiences of Children With Non-English-Speaking Parents

Examines gaps in school readiness among low-income children, especially those in immigrant and linguistically isolated families; the type of early care and education they receive; and the need for targeted center-based preschool programs to close gaps

Space, Government Payments, and Off-Farm Labor Response of Principal Farm Operators: A County-Level Analysis

We examine the effects of space and government payments on off-farm employment among principal farm operators for the entire US as well as for ERS/USDA farm resource regions. Spatial dependency in off-farm employment of principal farm operators in the U.S. overall is evident; however, this is not the case for all farm resource regions. While the effects of government payments overall are significant for the U.S., important variations exist by farm program type and across ERS/USDA regions.government payments, off-farm employment, off-farm labor supply, spatial dependence, ERS regions, Farm Management,

Maternal Human Capital and Childhood Stunting In Nepal: A Multi-Level Modeling Approach

Childhood stunting among preschool-age children stands as a serious public health problem to be addressed in Nepal. Applying the multi-level modeling approach to nationally representative data, in the overall, we provide evidence that the negative influence of maternal own education to childhood stunting occurs especially for mother's higher level of education, but there exists substantial residential variations. Most interestingly, we provide new evidence of a strong negative community externality of maternal education on childhood stunting, even if mothers of children are uneducated. We also find mother's height is negatively related to childhood stunting, regardless of mother's educational attainment and place of residence, providing evidence of intergenerational transmission of maternal health.Health Economics and Policy, Labor and Human Capital,

Effect of metabolic syndrome and aging on Ca2+ dysfunction in coronary smooth muscle and coronary artery disease severity in Ossabaw miniature swine

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and aging are prevalent risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and contribute to the etiology of CAD, including dysregulation of Ca2+ handling mechanisms in coronary smooth muscle (CSM). The current study tested the hypothesis that CAD severity and CSM Ca2+ dysregulation were different in MetS-induced CAD compared to aging-induced CAD. METHODS: Young (2.5 ± 0.2 years) and old (8.8 ± 1.2 years) Ossabaw miniature swine were fed an atherogenic diet for 11 months to induce MetS and were compared to lean age-matched controls. The metabolic profile was confirmed by body weight, plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, and intravenous glucose tolerance test. CAD was measured with intravascular ultrasound and histology. Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) was assessed with fura-2 imaging. RESULTS: CAD severity was similar between MetS young and lean old swine, with MetS old swine exhibiting the most severe CAD. Compared to CSM [Ca2+]i handling in lean young, the MetS young and lean old swine exhibited increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ store release, increased Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, and attenuated sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase activity. MetS old and MetS young swine had similar Ca2+ dysregulation. CONCLUSIONS: Ca2+ dysregulation, mainly the SR Ca2+ store, in CSM is more pronounced in lean old swine, which is indicative of mild, proliferative CAD. MetS old and MetS young swine exhibit Ca2+ dysfunction that is typical of late, severe disease. The more advanced, complex plaques in MetS old swine suggest that the "aging milieu" potentiates effects of Ca2+ handling dysfunction in CAD