Higher education, career opportunities, and intergenerational inequality

The UK government has expressed a desire to increase social mobility, with policies to help achieve this aim focused on reducing inequalities in educational attainment. This paper draws together established and new information about the contribution that higher education can make to social mobility using a life-course approach, considering differences by family background in terms of university attendance and achievement, as well as occupation and earnings following graduation. We find substantial socio-economic differences at each stage. Young people from poorer backgrounds are, on average, less likely to go to university than their richer peers. Even among the selected group who do go to university, they are less likely to attend the highest status institutions, less likely to graduate, and less likely to achieve the highest degree classes. These differences in degree outcomes contribute to the lower average earnings of graduates from poorer families, but earnings differentials go well beyond those driven purely by degree attainment or institution attended. The evidence strongly suggests that, even after taking these factors into account, graduates from affluent families are more likely to obtain a professional job and to see higher earnings growth in the labour market. We discuss the implications of these findings for the prospects of higher education as a route to greater social mobility

What should an index of school segregation measure?

The article aims to make a methodological contribution to the education segregation literature, providing a critique of previous measures of segregation used in the literature, as well as suggesting an alternative approach to measuring segregation. Specifically, the paper examines Gorard, Fitz and Taylor's finding that social segregation between schools, as measured by free school meals (FSM) entitlement, fell significantly in the years following the 1988 Education Reform Act. Using Annual Schools Census data from 1989 to 2004, the paper challenges the magnitude of their findings, suggesting that the method used by Gorard et al. seriously overstates the size of the fall in segregation. We make the case for a segregation curve approach to measuring segregation, where comparisons of the level of segregation are possible regardless of the percentage FSM eligibility. Using this approach, we develop a new method for describing both the level and the location of school segregation

Do government schools improve learning for poor students? Evidence from rural Pakistan

Pakistan’s Punjab province has witnessed numerous education reforms in recent years. Many of these reforms have been aimed at improving the well-documented low levels of learning by focusing on improving teaching quality. The rhetoric suggests that government schools, particularly those in rural areas with a more disadvantaged pupil base, are especially ineffective at imparting learning. This paper seeks to investigate whether children in rural Punjab are learning literacy and numeracy over the course of a year, and if so, are some pupils progressing more than others. Using recently collected data, it finds that children in our sample are making progress. Variation in progress is found to be greater within schools rather than across them. The competence and qualifications of a teacher also makes a significant difference to a child’s academic progress. The paper further finds differential progress for rich and poor students within schools, suggesting an important role for education policy to put in place targeted support towards those from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure improvements in their learning keep pace with their peers.Department for International Development (DFID

Investigating carbon materials nanostructure using image orientation statistics

International audienceA new characterization method of the lattice fringe images of turbostratic carbons is proposed. This method is based on the computation of their orientation field without explicit detection of fringes. It allows meaningful insights into the material nanostructure and nanotexture at several scales, either qualitatively or quantitatively. The calculation of pairwise spatial statistics of the orientation field at short distance provides measurements of the coherence lengths along any direction, in particular along and orthogonally to the layers. These statistics also allow representing orientation coherence patterns typical of the observed nanostructure. At larger distances, the mean disorientation of the fringes is computed and information about the homogeneity of the sample is obtained. An experimental validation is carried out on various artificial images and an application to the characterization of four bulk turbostratic carbons is provided

Comparison of two diagnostic techniques to determine the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infections in Cameroonian school children

Background: The Kato-Katz technique is recommended for diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection by the World Health Organization. However, egg counts are subject to variability. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in school children using two different techniques and to recommend the technique that should be routinely used in the diagnosis of this infection.Methodology: Field investigations on faecal samples from 299 Cameroonian school children were carried out in 2016 to compare the effectiveness of the Kato-Katz and Formalin-ether techniques in diagnosis of S. mansoni infections.Results: Schistosome eggs were detected in 37 (12.3%) samples with the Kato-Katz technique and 61 (20.4%) samples with the Formalin-ether technique. The difference between the prevalence observed for the two techniques was significant in males and age group 10 - 12 years (p < 0.5).Conclusion: The Formalin-ether technique was more sensitive than the Kato-Katz method for detecting S. mansoni eggs in faecal matter. Despite its cost, the Formalin-ether technique can be routinely used in the laboratory for epidemiological studies of intestinal schistosomiasisKeywords: Formalin-ether, Kato-Katz Schistosoma mansoni, school childre

Paramphistomum daubneyi : caractéristiques de l’infestation chez trois espèces de limnées

Experimental infections of two South American lymnaeids (Lymnaea neotropica and L. viatrix var. ventricosa) with Paramphistomum daubneyi were carried out to determine if these snail species could sustain larval development of this digenean and, if so, to specify their potential for cercarial production. A French population of Galba truncatula infected and raised according to the same protocol served as controls. In both experiments, prevalence of P. daubneyi infections in snails did not significantly differ from each other. In snail groups evaluated for cercarial shedding (first experiment), a significantly lower number of shed cercariae was noted for L. neotropica, while those from G. truncatula and L. v. ventricosa did not differ significantly from each other. Dissection of infected snails at day 65 post-exposure at 20°C (second experiment) found significantly lower burdens of P. daubneyi rediae and cercariae in the bodies of L. neotropica than in those of G. truncatula and L. v. ventricosa. Compared to total cercarial production observed in dissected snails, the percentage of cercariae which exited from snails was 75.6% for G. truncatula, 21.6% for L. neotropica, and 91.4% for L. v. ventricosa. This last species seems to be a good candidate for metacercarial production of P. daubneyi.Des infestations expérimentales de deux limnées sud-américaines (Lymnaea neotropica et L. viatrix var. ventricosa) avec Paramphistomum daubneyi ont été réalisées pour déterminer si ces espèces peuvent assurer le développement larvaire de ce Digène et, dans l’affirmative, pour préciser leur potentiel dans la production cercarienne. Les témoins sont constitués par une population française de Galba truncatula infestée et élevée selon le même protocole. Dans les deux expériences, les prévalences de l’infestation par P. daubneyi chez les mollusques sont proches les unes des autres. Chez les groupes suivis pour les émissions cercariennes (première expérience), le nombre de cercaires émises est significativement plus faible chez L. neotropica, tandis que les chiffres notés chez G. truncatula et L. v. ventricosa ne présentent pas de différence significative. Si les mollusques infestés sont disséqués au 65ème jour post-exposition à 20 °C (seconde expérience), les charges rédienne et cercarienne trouvées dans le corps des L. neotropica sont significativement plus faibles que celles notées chez G. truncatula et L. v. ventricosa. Par rapport à la production cercarienne totale chez les mollusques disséqués, le pourcentage de cercaires qui sont émises est de 75,6 % chez G. truncatula, 21,6 % chez L. neotropica et de 91,4 % chez L. v. ventricosa. Cette dernière espèce semble être un bon candidat pour la production métacercarienne de P. daubneyi.Centro de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Veterinaria

Paramphistomum daubneyi : caractéristiques de l’infestation chez trois espèces de limnées

Experimental infections of two South American lymnaeids (Lymnaea neotropica and L. viatrix var. ventricosa) with Paramphistomum daubneyi were carried out to determine if these snail species could sustain larval development of this digenean and, if so, to specify their potential for cercarial production. A French population of Galba truncatula infected and raised according to the same protocol served as controls. In both experiments, prevalence of P. daubneyi infections in snails did not significantly differ from each other. In snail groups evaluated for cercarial shedding (first experiment), a significantly lower number of shed cercariae was noted for L. neotropica, while those from G. truncatula and L. v. ventricosa did not differ significantly from each other. Dissection of infected snails at day 65 post-exposure at 20°C (second experiment) found significantly lower burdens of P. daubneyi rediae and cercariae in the bodies of L. neotropica than in those of G. truncatula and L. v. ventricosa. Compared to total cercarial production observed in dissected snails, the percentage of cercariae which exited from snails was 75.6% for G. truncatula, 21.6% for L. neotropica, and 91.4% for L. v. ventricosa. This last species seems to be a good candidate for metacercarial production of P. daubneyi.Des infestations expérimentales de deux limnées sud-américaines (Lymnaea neotropica et L. viatrix var. ventricosa) avec Paramphistomum daubneyi ont été réalisées pour déterminer si ces espèces peuvent assurer le développement larvaire de ce Digène et, dans l’affirmative, pour préciser leur potentiel dans la production cercarienne. Les témoins sont constitués par une population française de Galba truncatula infestée et élevée selon le même protocole. Dans les deux expériences, les prévalences de l’infestation par P. daubneyi chez les mollusques sont proches les unes des autres. Chez les groupes suivis pour les émissions cercariennes (première expérience), le nombre de cercaires émises est significativement plus faible chez L. neotropica, tandis que les chiffres notés chez G. truncatula et L. v. ventricosa ne présentent pas de différence significative. Si les mollusques infestés sont disséqués au 65ème jour post-exposition à 20 °C (seconde expérience), les charges rédienne et cercarienne trouvées dans le corps des L. neotropica sont significativement plus faibles que celles notées chez G. truncatula et L. v. ventricosa. Par rapport à la production cercarienne totale chez les mollusques disséqués, le pourcentage de cercaires qui sont émises est de 75,6 % chez G. truncatula, 21,6 % chez L. neotropica et de 91,4 % chez L. v. ventricosa. Cette dernière espèce semble être un bon candidat pour la production métacercarienne de P. daubneyi.Centro de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Veterinaria

Evaluation of SiC-particle connectivity in functionally graded Al/SiCp composites by synchrotron radiation holographic microtomography

Reliability of functionally graded metal matrix composites (FGMMCs) for automotive components is still dependent on the detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of the microstructural build-up, for instance on the mechanisms leading to the distribution and relative positions of the reinforcing particles. In order to assess the influence of the SiC particle size on the 3-D inter-particle connectivity in functionally graded Al/SiCp composites produced by centrifugal casting, X-ray microtomography experiments were performed at the ID19 beamline in ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility). The FGMMCs consisted of an Al-10Si-2Mg alloy matrix, reinforced by an average SiC particle volume fraction of 0.10; two different average sizes were used: 37 μm and 12 μm. The holographic modification of the X-ray CMT (Computer Micro- Tomography) method allowed to obtain neatly contrasted images, as opposed to classical CMT.Good agreement was found between the particle size evaluated by CMT and by laser interferometry. Particle clustering has been evaluated in number and volume, showing that a lower mean particle size is related to more clustering. Such an adverse effect relies on the importance of particle/liquid alloy surface tension. Also, the mean particle size has been evaluated as a function of particle number within a cluster: as expected, the larger a cluster, the larger the particles inside it.(undefined