Search

This paper examines the increasingly diverse range of roles played by the corporate sector in shaping education policy. While a growing body of scholarship has documented the deepening embeddedness of the corporate sector within policy-making processes, empirical research on the strategies mobilized by corporate actors remains unsystematised and fragmentary. Furthermore, existing categorizations of corporate policy-influence strategies are frequently restricted to a limited group of Anglo-Saxon countries and, consequently, are ill suited to capturing emerging policy dynamics globally. Building on the results of a literature review, this paper categorises four emerging strategies articulated by the corporate sector: knowledge mobilization, networking, engaging with grassroots, and leading by example. Each strategy is illustrated with examples from a selection of country case studies. These examples suggest that, in the education policy domain, the corporate sector operates not only as a policy influencer, but increasingly as a policy actor organically embedded within policy-making processes and spaces.

Despite Public-Private Partnerships' (PPPs) growing popularity within education policy circles, research on their effects yields contradictory results. The understanding of PPP effects is limited by the prevalence of generalist analyses that neglect to acknowledge the exceptional heterogeneity of the policy frameworks in which PPPs crystallize. Building on a scoping literature review, this paper aims at identifying patterns of effects of main PPP modalities on education (namely vouchers, charter schools and public subsidies for private schools) by considering the mediating role of policy-design variables. Our results show that PPP configurations oriented at the generation of market-like dynamics are frequently found to exacerbate school segregation and educational inequalities. Conversely, those PPP arrangements less conducive to market competition and those that follow an affirmative action rationale (such as targeted vouchers) are more likely to yield more positive effects on learning outcomes than other types of PPPs, without necessarily undermining equity.

Over the last two decades, education privatization has become a widespread phenomenon, affecting most education systems and giving place to a consistent increase in private school enrolment globally. However, far from being a monolithic phenomenon, privatization advances through a variety of context-sensitive policy processes that translate into multiple policy outcomes. This paper aims at understanding why and how education privatization unfolds in a broad variety of settings and, to this purpose, examines the different manifestations of education privatization on the light of Cultural Political Economy (CPE). The conceptual and analytical tools provided by CPE prove to be particularly well suited to explore such a multi-faceted and multi-scalar phenomenon. CPE has helped us to capture the intersect and tension between different drivers (global and local, material and ideational) of education privatization through the evolutionary mechanisms of variation, selection and retention. On the basis of a systematic literature review methodology, encompassing 227 research papers, the article identifies and systematizes six different paths towards education privatization--understood as groups of frequently associated circumstances, mechanisms and courses of action leading to privatization. Conceived as ideal types, these different paths ultimately allow for a richer understanding of education privatization and show that the international diffusion of education privatization norms and discourses is far from producing policy convergence at a global scale.

Objective: IgA vasculitis (IgAV) can occur after vaccination. We aimed to assess a potential safety signal on the association between COVID-19 vaccines and IgAV.Methods: Cases of IgAV involving COVID-19 vaccines were retrieved in Vigibase. Disproportionate reporting was assessed using the Bayesian information component with all other drugs and vaccines as control groups.Results: Three hundred and thirty de novo IgAV from 24 countries were included, mostly in United States (193/330, 58%). Fifty per cent were female (163/328), median age was 32 years [interquartile range (IQR), 15-59] of which 33% (84/254) were young (1-17 years). Median time to onset of IgAV was 7 days (IQR, 2-16; n=256) and 85% of patients (280/330) were vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. Seriousness was reported in 188 cases (58%). Ninety-five recovered (65%) and 2 died (2%). A positive rechallenge was reported for 3 of 4 patients (75%). A total of 996 cases of IgAV were identified with other vaccines. There was a small significant increase in IgAV reporting with COVID-19 vaccines compared with all other drugs (IC 0.22, credibility interval (CrI) from 0.04 to 0.35). No disproportionality signal was found between COVID-19 and other vaccines (IC -1.42, CrI from -1.60 to -1.28]). There was no significant difference between mRNA vaccines and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines. Men and children had a significant overreporting of IgAV compared with women and adults, respectively.Conclusion: This study, provides reassuring results regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in the occurrence of IgAV compared to other vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal nutrition is critical to the health of both mother and offspring, but there is a paucity of data on the nutritional adequacy of diets during pregnancy. Objective: Our objective was to identify to what extent pregnancy reduces the nutritional adequacy of the expecting mother’s diet and if this nutritional gap can be resolved by simple quantitative or qualitative changes in the diet. Materials and Methods: We evaluated the observed overall nutritional adequacy of diets of French and American women of childbearing age participating in ENNS (n = 344) and NHANES (n = 563) using the probabilistic approach of the PANDiet system, resulting in a 100-point score. Then, we simulated the changes in the PANDiet scores of women of childbearing age who would remain on their diet during pregnancy. Finally, by either increasing the quantity of consumed foods or using eleven snacks recommended during pregnancy, we simulated the effect of a 150-kcal increase in the energy intake of French women. Results: Observed PANDiet scores were equal to 59.3 ± 7.0 and 58.8 ± 9.3 points respectively in France and in the US. Simulation of pregnancy for women of childbearing age led to a decrease in nutritional adequacy for key nutrients during pregnancy and resulted in reducing PANDiet scores by 3.3 ± 0.1 and 3.7 ± 0.1 points in France and in the US. Simulated 150-kcal increases in energy intake proved to be only partially effective in filling the gap both when the quantity of food consumed was increased and when recommended snacks were used. Conclusions: The decrease in nutritional adequacy induced by pregnancy cannot be addressed by simply following generic dietary guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing diet quality indices often show theoretical and methodological limitations, especially with regard to validation. Objective: To develop a diet quality index based on the probability of adequate nutrient intake (PANDiet) and evaluate its validity using data from French and US populations. Material and Methods: The PANDiet is composed of adequacy probabilities for 24 nutrients grouped into two sub-scores. The relationship between the PANDiet score and energy intake were investigated. We evaluated the construct validity of the index by comparing scores for population sub-groups with 'a priori' differences in diet quality, according to smoking status, energy density, food intakes, plasma folate and carotenoid concentrations. French and US implementations of the PANDiet were developed and evaluated using national nutritional recommendations and dietary surveys. Results: The PANDiet was not correlated with energy for the French implementation (r = -0.02, P>0.05) and correlated at a low level for the US implementation (r = -0.11, P<0.0001). In both implementations, a higher PANDiet score (i.e. a better diet quality) was associated with not smoking, having a lower-energy-dense diet, consuming higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, milk and other dairy products and lower amounts of cheese, pizza, eggs, meat and processed meat, and having higher plasma folate and carotenoid concentrations after controlling for appropriate factors (all P<0.05, carotenoid data for US not available). Conclusions: The PANDiet provides a single score that measures the adequacy of nutrient intake and reflects diet quality. This index is adaptable for use in different countries and relevant at the individual and population levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbal material used to assess the cognitive abilities of Spanish-speakers in the the United States is frequently of linguistically unacceptable quality. The use of these materials in research settings is thought to pose a serious threat to test validity and hence to the validity of claimed results or conclusions. The authors explain how and why incorrect language finds its way into cognitive tests used in research and other settings and suggest solutions to this serious problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the correlation between immunomodulatory nutrition and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the United States. Definition of ARDS; Measurement of energy and protein needs with Harris-Benedict equation; Function of the gastrointestinal tract.

• Leaf area index calculated from remote sensing data is optimal to estimate phenology. • The estimates of satellite metrics are strongly correlated with the ground-based data. • The threshold method, using the 30th percentile, performed the best for SoS. • The threshold method, using the 40th percentile, performed the best for EoS. • Phenological metrics for the timing of SoS and EoS show a strong latitudinal gradient. Land surface phenology has been widely retrieved although no consensus exists on the optimal satellite dataset and the method to extract phenology metrics. This study is the first comprehensive comparison of vegetation variables and methods to retrieve land surface phenology for 1999–2017 time series of Copernicus Global Land products derived from SPOT-VEGETATION and PROBA-V data. We investigated the sensitivity of phenology to (I) the input vegetation variable: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index (LAI), fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), and fraction of vegetation cover (FCOVER); (II) the smoothing and gap filling method for deriving seasonal trajectories; and (III) the method to extract phenological metrics: thresholds based on a percentile of the annual amplitude of the vegetation variable, autoregressive moving averages, logistic function fitting, and first derivative methods. We validated the derived satellite phenological metrics (start of the season (SoS) and end of the season (EoS)) using available ground observations of Betula pendula , B. alleghaniensis, Acer rubrum , Fagus grandifolia , and Quercus rubra in Europe (Pan-European PEP725 network) and the USA (National Phenology Network, USA-NPN). The threshold-based method applied to the smoothed and gap-filled LAI V2 time series agreed best with the ground phenology, with root mean square errors of ˜10 d and ˜25 d for the timing of SoS and EoS respectively. This research is expected to contribute for the operational retrieval of land surface phenology within the Copernicus Global Land Service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We assessed the growth, distribution, and characteristics of pediatric intensive care in 2016.Design: Hospitals with PICUs were identified from prior surveys, databases, online searching, and clinician networking. A structured web-based survey was distributed in 2016 and compared with responses in a 2001 survey.Setting: PICUs were defined as a separate unit, specifically for the treatment of children with life-threatening conditions. PICU hospitals contained greater than or equal to 1 PICU.Subjects: Physician medical directors and nurse managers.Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: PICU beds per pediatric population (< 18 yr), PICU bed distribution by state and region, and PICU characteristics and their relationship with PICU beds were measured. Between 2001 and 2016, the U.S. pediatric population grew 1.9% to greater than 73.6 million children, and PICU hospitals decreased 0.9% from 347 to 344 (58 closed, 55 opened). In contrast, PICU bed numbers increased 43% (4,135 to 5,908 beds); the median PICU beds per PICU hospital rose from 9 to 12 (interquartile range 8, 20 beds). PICU hospitals with greater than or equal to 15 beds in 2001 had significant bed growth by 2016, whereas PICU hospitals with less than 15 beds experienced little average growth. In 2016, there were eight PICU beds per 100,000 U.S. children (5.7 in 2001), with U.S. census region differences in bed availability (6.8 to 8.8 beds/100,000 children). Sixty-three PICU hospitals (18%) accounted for 47% of PICU beds. Specialized PICUs were available in 59 hospitals (17.2%), 48 were cardiac (129% growth). Academic affiliation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation availability, and 24-hour in-hospital intensivist staffing increased with PICU beds per hospital.Conclusions: U.S. PICU bed growth exceeded pediatric population growth over 15 years with a relatively small percentage of PICU hospitals containing almost half of all PICU beds. PICU bed availability is variable across U.S. states and regions, potentially influencing access to care and emergency preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicians play a primary role in vaccination of the population. Strong initial training of medical students is therefore essential to enable them to fulfill this role. This cross-sectional nationwide online survey conducted between September 2015 and January 2016 obtained 2,118 completed surveys from 6,690 eligible respondents (response rate, 32%) at 27 of 32 medical schools in France regarding their education about vaccination. The data were analyzed in April-June 2016. The survey covered their knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceptions, and assessed their level of perceived preparedness for their future practice as interns. Around a third of the students (n=708, 34%) felt insufficiently prepared for questions about vaccination, especially for communicating with patients on side effects (n=1,381, 66%) and strategies to respond to vaccine hesitancy (n=1,217, 58%). The mean knowledge score was 26/45 (SD=7.9). Lecture courses, which are the main education method used in French medical schools (1,891/5,660 responses, 33%), were considered effective by only 11% of students (693/6,155 responses), whereas practical training was significantly associated with better perceived preparedness (p<0.001). In conclusion, education about vaccination during medical school in France is not optimal. Methods based on practical learning methods (case-based learning, clinical placements, and other hands-on methods) appear to produce the best results and must be favored for improving students' preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]