Diversity gain? An exploration of inclusive and exclusive perceptions in early years settings in England

This article explores inclusive and exclusive perceptions within early years practice settings in England. Inclusion is understood to involve the acknowledgement and celebration of difference, rather than its problematization. A deficit-based discourse regarding diversity is challenged and the concept of diversity gain is explored. A study was undertaken involving seven early years practice settings. The study involved the use of a critical communicative methodological approach due to its focus on exploration and listening with a view to understanding. The results and data analysis supplied three key findings. Firstly, practitioners are able to articulate their understanding of diversity gain and a desire for inclusion to a far greater extent than parents involved in the settings. Secondly, parental involvement within the settings is fundamental to authentic inclusion. Finally, practitioners felt that there was a distinct lack of resources, including funding, time and expertise, to support inclusive practice appropriately.     

Are medical students socially exclusive? A comparison with economics students

Context Medical students have long been perceived as socially segregated from other students. However, the evidence for this is mainly anecdotal. This study investigates this issue by comparing medical students with economics students. Methods Questionnaires measuring objective and subjective social life patterns were completed by 149 medical and 149 economics students at a campus‐based university in the UK. Results Medical students drew significantly more of their close friends and housemates from among students on the same course than economics students. Significantly more medical than economics students had a partner on the same course, participated in departmental sports clubs and societies, and felt separated from the rest of university life. Commonly reported reasons for this separation among medical students were high workloads, that the medical school was located outside the main campus, and high numbers of contact hours, some of which took place at sites outside the university. Discussion Medical students are more socially exclusive than economics students, which may lead to ‘in‐group’ attitudes and behaviours. This is educationally important and may affect their future professionalism. Universities should be aware of the issues involved when planning curricula, timetables, welfare initiatives and campus design. Prospective medical students should be informed of the social consequences of studying medicine.     

Optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding: what is the evidence to support current recommendations?

Before 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that infants be exclusively breastfed for 4-6 mo with the introduction of complementary foods (any fluid or food other than breast milk) thereafter. In 2001, after a systematic review and expert consultation, this advice was changed, and exclusive breastfeeding is now recommended for the first 6 mo of life. The systematic review commissioned by the WHO compared infant and maternal outcomes for exclusive breastfeeding for 3-4 mo versus 6 mo. That review concluded that infants exclusively breastfed for 6 mo experienced less morbidity from gastrointestinal infection and showed no deficits in growth but that large randomized trials are required to rule out small adverse effects on growth and the development of iron deficiency in susceptible infants. Others have raised concerns that the evidence is insufficient to confidently recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 mo for infants in developed countries, that breast milk may not meet the full energy requirements of the average infant at 6 mo of age, and that estimates of the proportion of exclusively breastfed infants at risk of specific nutritional deficiencies are not available. Additionally, virtually no data are available to form evidence-based recommendations for the introduction of solids in formula-fed infants. Given increasing evidence that early nutrition and growth have effects on both short- and longer-term health, it is vital that this issue be investigated in high-quality randomized studies. Meanwhile, the consequences of the WHO recommendation should be monitored in different settings to assess compliance and record and act on adverse events. The policy should then be reviewed in the context of new data to formulate evidence-based recommendations.     

Housing and health—Current issues and implications for research and programs

This article provides an overview of the ways in which the home environment can affect human health, describes how specific health hazards in housing are related, and considers implications of these concerns for research and programs to address the health-housing connection. The widespread availability of decent housing has contributed greatly to improvements in health status in developed countries through, for example, provision of safe drinking water, proper sewage disposal, and protection from the elements. However, a lack of decent housing and homelessness among a significant number of Americans remains a significant public health concern. In addition, a number of specific health hazards can be found even in housing that is in good condition and provides all basic amenities. Specific health hazards related to housing include unintentional injuries, exposure to lead, exposure to allergens that may cause or worsen asthma, moisture and fungi (mold), rodent and insect pests, pesticide residues, and indoor air pollution. A number of these specific hazards share underlying causes, such as excess moisture, and all may be influenced by factors in the community environment or by occupant behaviors. We make recommendations for developing programs and research efforts that address multiple housing problems in an integrated way, rather than categorically, and for closer collaboration between housing and public health programs. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official policies of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.     

and biology

有一个富翁,带了许多金银财宝,到很远的地方去寻找快乐。但他走过了千山万水,到过了无数的地方,却始终没有找到快乐。一天,正当他沮丧地坐在山道旁休息时,见一位农夫背着一大捆柴草快乐地唱着山歌从山上下来,富翁急忙上前向农夫问道:“我是个令人羡慕的富翁,为什么却总是找不到     

Comparing objective and subjective status: Gender and space (and environmental justice?)

The environmental justice literature has described differential health effects of environmental toxins and pollutants on people of different socio-economic status (SES) that may not always reflect differing levels of exposure. We offer four questions or contentions that together may contribute to understanding this conundrum and then present an empirical exploration of one of these questions: Does the relationship between SES and self-perceived status vary in space? Utilizing data from an original questionnaire survey of randomly selected adults conducted in twenty-five communities in British Columbia, Canada, a supplementary data set containing demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the communities themselves, and multilevel modelling techniques, this article describes relationships between objective and subjective measures of social status, by gender and in space. Our analysis contributes to the development of innovative environmental justice models by bringing some spatial sensitivity to interrelationships among these aspects of status.     

Brominated Indoles and Phenols in Marine Sediment and Water Extracts from the North and Baltic Seas–Concentrations and Effects

This work presents results from analytical as well as ecotoxicologic investigations of sediment and water samples from the North and Baltic Seas. A bioassay-directed procedure was used to investigate cause–effect relationships between observed effects in acute laboratory bioassays (luminescent bacteria assay with Vibrio fischeri and embryo test with Danio rerio) and analyte concentrations in extracted samples. Brominated phenols and indoles—including 4-bromophenol; 2,4-dibromophenol; 4- and 6-bromoindole; 3,4-, 4,6-, and 3,6-dibromoindole; and tribrominated compounds—were identified in partly remarkable concentrations (up to 40,000 ng g⁻¹ total organic carbon TOC for 4-bromophenol) in North Sea sediment samples and water samples (913 ng L⁻¹ 3,6-dibromoindole) from the German Bight. The toxicity of some of the identified brominated substances was low, with median effect concentration levels (EC₅₀) ranging from 0.08 to 21.7 mg/L for V. fischeri and 4.3 to 46.3 mg/L for D. rerio. Comparison of the concentrations of analytes with ECs showed a toxicity contribution of brominated phenols and indoles to overall toxicity of the fraction. In the case of one water sample from the German Bight, brominated phenols and indoles accounted for the observed toxicity. Brominated phenols and indoles, which are assumed to be of biogenic origin, have rarely been discussed so far in the context of ecotoxicologic effects in marine ecosystems.     

Metabolism and kinetics of parenterally administered ornithine and α-ketoglutarate in healthy and burned animals

To improve our understanding of the metabolism of ornithine α-ketoglutarate (OKG), used as an adjuvant of parenteral nutrition, we studied the plasma kinetics, localisation of target tissues and metabolism of α ketoglutarate (αKG) and ornithine (Orn) in healthy and burned animals. After parenteral administration, the kinetics of plasma disappearance of the two labelled compounds showed a biphasic decrease reflecting an open two-compartmental model of elimination, with the exception of Orn in burned rats. The appearance of metabolites in the plasma was rapid, particularly with regard to glutamate, proline and, following ornithine administration, glutamine. This witnessed the engagement of the substrates in multiple metabolic pathways. The study of tissular distribution by autoradiography demonstrated certain target tissues in common for αKG and Orn such as the liver, intestinal mucosa, salivary glands, kidney and muscle. This is consistent with a possible synergic action of these two compounds. The identification of labelled amino-acids and aliphatic polyamines was also performed in the tissues. Two major observations were made, which could be of interest in further work concerning cellular mechanisms of OKG action. Firstly, after αKG administration, labelled Glu and αKG were detected simultaneously in muscle; this would render possible the local biosynthesis of the anticatabolic compound α ketoisocaproate. Secondly, the injection of ¹⁴C-ornithine was followed by the appearance in the intestinal mucosa and salivary glands of labelled aliphatic polyamines, which possess an anabolic effect.