Immigration and the Welfare State: Immigrant Participation in Means- Tested Entitlement Programs

This paper documents the extent to which immigrants participate in the many programs that make up the welfare state. The immigrant- native difference in the probability of receiving cash benefits is small, but the gap widens once other programs are included in the analysis: 21 percent of immigrant households receive some type of assistance, as compared to only 14 percent of native households. The types of benefits received by earlier immigrants influence the types of benefits received by newly arrived immigrants. Hence there might be ethnic networks which transmit information about the availability of particular benefits to new immigrants.

Urban coral reefs: Degradation and resilience of hard coral assemblages in coastal cities of East and Southeast Asia

© 2018 The Author(s) Given predicted increases in urbanization in tropical and subtropical regions, understanding the processes shaping urban coral reefs may be essential for anticipating future conservation challenges. We used a case study approach to identify unifying patterns of urban coral reefs and clarify the effects of urbanization on hard coral assemblages. Data were compiled from 11 cities throughout East and Southeast Asia, with particular focus on Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Naha (Okinawa). Our review highlights several key characteristics of urban coral reefs, including “reef compression” (a decline in bathymetric range with increasing turbidity and decreasing water clarity over time and relative to shore), dominance by domed coral growth forms and low reef complexity, variable city-specific inshore-offshore gradients, early declines in coral cover with recent fluctuating periods of acute impacts and rapid recovery, and colonization of urban infrastructure by hard corals. We present hypotheses for urban reef community dynamics and discuss potential of ecological engineering for corals in urban areas

Significant benefits of AIP testing and clinical screening in familial isolated and young-onset pituitary tumors

Context Germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) gene are responsible for a subset of familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) cases and sporadic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Objective To compare prospectively diagnosed AIP mutation-positive (AIPmut) PitNET patients with clinically presenting patients and to compare the clinical characteristics of AIPmut and AIPneg PitNET patients. Design 12-year prospective, observational study. Participants & Setting We studied probands and family members of FIPA kindreds and sporadic patients with disease onset ≤18 years or macroadenomas with onset ≤30 years (n = 1477). This was a collaborative study conducted at referral centers for pituitary diseases. Interventions & Outcome AIP testing and clinical screening for pituitary disease. Comparison of characteristics of prospectively diagnosed (n = 22) vs clinically presenting AIPmut PitNET patients (n = 145), and AIPmut (n = 167) vs AIPneg PitNET patients (n = 1310). Results Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut PitNET patients had smaller lesions with less suprasellar extension or cavernous sinus invasion and required fewer treatments with fewer operations and no radiotherapy compared with clinically presenting cases; there were fewer cases with active disease and hypopituitarism at last follow-up. When comparing AIPmut and AIPneg cases, AIPmut patients were more often males, younger, more often had GH excess, pituitary apoplexy, suprasellar extension, and more patients required multimodal therapy, including radiotherapy. AIPmut patients (n = 136) with GH excess were taller than AIPneg counterparts (n = 650). Conclusions Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut patients show better outcomes than clinically presenting cases, demonstrating the benefits of genetic and clinical screening. AIP-related pituitary disease has a wide spectrum ranging from aggressively growing lesions to stable or indolent disease course

“The Heart, The Wallet and the Cookie Cutter”: Student and stakeholder experiences of undertaking LANTITE, the high-stakes test in Australian initial teacher education

The aim of this research was to explore initial teacher education (ITE) student and stakeholder perceptions of the student experience of undertaking a nationally mandated, highstakes test: Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education students (LANTITE). This licensure test became a requirement from 1st July 2016 as part of the ongoing reform of teacher education in Australia. Teacher education reform has long been part of international and domestic political agendas, particularly in the pursuit of teacher quality. This mixed methods study used a pragmatic approach and the research was intentionally designed to give voice to the student experience. There were two distinct participant groups recruited for this study: (a) ITE students from Australian universities; and (b) ITE stakeholders who have regular contact with ITE students and were employed in roles such as teacher educators at universities and teaching staff in Australian schools. There were two phases of the research conducted in early 2019 over an eight-week period. The first phase consisted of a short online questionnaire for both ITE students and stakeholders, and the second phase consisted of a semi-structured telephone interview with individuals from both participant groups who had opted into this component as part of the online questionnaire. Both ITE students and stakeholders identified three main themes relating to the student experiences of the test: (a) The Heart (emotions and feelings related to the tests); (b) The Wallet (costs associated with the test); and, (c) The Cookie Cutter (the inclusion/exclusion tensions of creating a quality teacher). A diverse range of experiences were recorded and included positive, neutral and negative feedback both about the process and the overall experience. Students also described a range of experiences relating to the different phases of the testing process, including pre-test, during LANTITE and post-test. The research findings give voice to those most impacted by the implementation of LANTITE in 2017 and provide new insights into how the students are experiencing the tests for the professional authorities, universities and teacher educators who support initial teacher education students in meeting the standards required of LANTITE and complete their preservice course requirements. Furthermore, the findings from this study suggest improvements in communication to students and a range of supports to students undertaking the tests is required for students to have a clearer understanding of the testing process and structure. The research findings also inform several recommendations in relation to improving the processes for students undertaking this test, particularly in relation to student communication and how results and student feedback are offered. A number of suggested policy improvements are also recommended, including the need to proactively engage students in the design and review of the test experience and the importance of taking student wellbeing into consideration in the testing process

Potencies of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protease Inhibitors In Vitro against Plasmodium falciparum and In Vivo against Murine Malaria

Parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs is a serious threat to human health, and novel agents that act on enzymes essential for parasite metabolism, such as proteases, are attractive targets for drug development. Recent studies have shown that clinically utilized human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors can inhibit the in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum at or below concentrations found in human plasma after oral drug administration. The most potent in vitro antimalarial effects have been obtained for parasites treated with saquinavir, ritonavir, or lopinavir, findings confirmed in this study for a genetically distinct P. falciparum line (3D7). To investigate the potential in vivo activity of antiretroviral protease inhibitors (ARPIs) against malaria, we examined the effect of ARPI combinations in a murine model of malaria. In mice infected with Plasmodium chabaudi AS and treated orally with ritonavir-saquinavir or ritonavir-lopinavir, a delay in patency and a significant attenuation of parasitemia were observed. Using modeling and ligand docking studies we examined putative ligand binding sites of ARPIs in aspartyl proteases of P. falciparum (plasmepsins II and IV) and P. chabaudi (plasmepsin) and found that these in silico analyses support the antimalarial activity hypothesized to be mediated through inhibition of these enzymes. In addition, in vitro enzyme assays demonstrated that P. falciparum plasmepsins II and IV are both inhibited by the ARPIs saquinavir, ritonavir, and lopinavir. The combined results suggest that ARPIs have useful antimalarial activity that may be especially relevant in geographical regions where HIV and P. falciparum infections are both endemic