Exploring the educational experiences of children and young people adopted from care: Using the voices of children and parents to inform practice

National monitoring data and research suggest that British adopted children achieve poorer educational outcomes and experience higher levels of emotional, social and learning difficulties in school, compared to the general population. However, few studies have elicited the perspectives of adopted children and adoptive parents in relation to school experiences. The current study used a qualitative design to explore the lived educational experiences of adopted children through semi-structured interviews with 11 secondary-aged adoptees and a focus group with six adopters. Thematic analysis identified five themes within the narratives of the adoptees and adopters: inner turmoil; social disconnection; unsupportive school contexts; relational repair; and misperceptions and prejudice. These findings were presented to 20 Designated Teachers (DTs) within a workshop to explore how the experiences of the adoptees and adopters can be used to inform their role. Three themes were found, which illustrate broad implications for DTs’ practice with adopted children and adoptive parents in schools: raising awareness; developing relationships; and supporting emotional needs. Key implications for schools, post-adoption support services and policymakers are discussed.

The Panorama of Cleft Lip and Palate Live Birth in Brazil: Follow-up of a 10-Year Period and Inequalities in the Health System

Objective To provide the prevalence and an overview of cleft lip and palate (CL/P) in the period of 2008 to 2017, as well as the profile of care provided for this condition in Brazil. Design Cross-sectional study of epidemiological character. Setting Brazilian government website. Participants National Live Birth and Hospital Information System. Intervention Organization of the end databases and performance-based statistical analysis. Main Outcome Measure(s) Analysis of the prevalence of CL/P in newborns, sociodemographic condition of the mothers, surgical procedures and hospitalizations, and specialized hospitals in Brazil within a 10-year period. Results The average prevalence of CL/P in Brazil was ∼52 children per 100 000 live births in the covered period, corresponding to 1 per 1924 newborns. The presence of cleft was associated with preterm birth, being underweight, and the male gender. The highest prevalence was found in the South region, while the lowest was found in the Northeast region, with increasing rates in the North region of Brazil. The states with the highest prevalence were not those with a great number of hospitalizations and surgical procedures for live births with CL/P. Conclusion In the 10-year study period, the prevalence of CL/P was 0.52 newborns per 1000 live births, a result which differs among the states of Brazil. The need to reinforce the national monitoring of the prevalence and surgical procedures of cleft patients have also emphasized the need to improve public medical care for CL/P subjects.

National Monitoring of Mosquito Populations and Molecular Analysis of Flavivirus in the Republic of Korea in 2020

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has established centers at 16 locations to screen vector populations and pathogens. The aims of this study were to determine the relative spatiotemporal distributions of mosquitoes that are flavivirus vectors, and to correlate them with instances of flaviviral disease in the Republic of Korea (ROK). We collected 67,203 mosquitoes in traps at 36 collection sites in 30 urban regions and migratory bird habitats in 2020. The trap index was 36.6, and the predominant mosquito species were the Culex pipiens complex, Armigeres subalbatus, Aedes albopictus, Aedes vexans, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The mosquitoes were pooled into 4953 pools to monitor flavivirus infection. We determined that the minimum infection rate of flavivirus was 0.01%. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was detected in only seven pools of Culex orientalis from Sangju, and we isolated JVE from two pools. All detected JEV was found to be genotype V by phylogenetic analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to isolate genotype V JVE from Culex orientalis in the ROK. Subsequent geographical and ecological studies on mosquitoes will help improve our understanding of the relative risk of flavivirus infection. Future studies should analyze mosquito species distribution and improve flavivirus monitoring and long-term surveillance.

Optimized Survey Design for Monitoring Protocols: A Case Study of Waterfowl Abundance

Nationwide monitoring programs are important tools that quantify the status and trends of natural resources providing important information for management and conservation decisions. These programs operate at large spatial scales with standardized protocols requiring wide-spread participation. However, resource limitations can reduce participation, which can then compromise the spatial replication needed for nationwide inference. The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring program is an example of a national monitoring program that could benefit from a reduction in sampling effort to facilitate increased participation and ultimately broader inference. Therefore, we examined various sampling schemes to determine if it is possible to reduce the sampling effort while maintaining the statistical accuracy needed to support management. We found that instead of needing to census a National Wildlife Refuge, sampling effort could be reduced while accurately estimating waterfowl abundance to within 10% of the census count by surveying just 2/3 of all the sample units or 3/4 of the total survey area. Not only did this guideline apply to our five pilot National Wildlife Refuges, but it was also further validated by applying it to four additional National Wildlife Refuges. We hope that by applying this finding to other National Wildlife Refuges, we can increase participation in the program by reducing the logistical and financial burden of sampling.

Review of research on monitoring mathematical competencies of students

The article analyzes foreign research on monitoring the mathematical competencies of students. The key issues related to the use of the results of assessment of students' academic achievements in conducting national monitoring of the quality of education are considered. The specifics of using the results in each of the countries are discussed, including the interpretation and presentation of evaluation data for different user groups.

The progressive gendering of the European Union’s economic governance architecture

This study shows the correlation between the European integration process and the progress of gender equality objectives. In particular, it focuses on the effectiveness of economic governance tools to enhance coordination between national policies towards gender equality. The research question pertains to whether the new architecture of economic governance aims to consolidate the market model or correct gender imbalances. This aspect leads us to explore the diverse tools of national monitoring displayed in the recently reinforced governance, particularly the fiscal discipline policy as a conditioning framework, the European Semester as the current significant instrument for coordinating national policies, and the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and its Social Scoreboard annex. The analysis confirms that the potential of governance instruments to enhance gender equality is underused. Meanwhile, these tools set out a policy focused on consolidating the market model of competitiveness and fiscal discipline, rather than tackling gender inequalities

A revised image of the instrumental seismicity in the Lodi area (Po Plain, Italy)

We analysed the instrumental seismicity in a sector of the Po Plain (Italy) to define the baseline for seismic monitoring of a new underground gas storage plant that will use the depleted gas reservoir of Cornegliano Laudense, near Lodi. The target area – a square approximately 80 km × 80 km wide – is commonly considered aseismic. The analysed period, 1951–2019, includes all available instrumental data. We gathered the P- and S-phase readings collected by various agencies for more than 300 events, approximately located inside the target area. We processed the earthquakes uniformly, using absolute location algorithms and velocity models adopted by the regional and national monitoring networks. The relocated earthquake dataset depicts an image of weak and deep seismicity for this central sector of the Po Plain, which is quite different from the initial one derived from the existing earthquake catalogues. Within a distance of approximately 30 km from Lodi, earthquakes are extremely rare (on average 0.5 earthquakes per year, assuming a completeness magnitude Mc = 2.7 from the 1980s); only two weak events fall at less than 15 km distance from the reservoir in the whole period 1951–2019. The strongest events instrumentally recorded are related to the seismic sequence of Caviaga in 1951 that represent the first instrumental recordings for that area. Confirming the hypocentral depths recently proposed by Caciagli et al. (2015), the events are far from the gas reservoir; we suggest common tectonic stress of the main shock of 1951 and the M4.2 earthquake of 17 December 2020, based on the similarities in depth, location, and focal mechanism. While it is clear that the deep seismicity corresponds to the collision between the Northern Apennines and the Southern Alps, the characterization of the geological structures that generate earthquakes appears uncertain. Our results are a preliminary benchmark for the definition of seismogenic zones in the Lodi area, whose definition can be improved with the existing observational capabilities now available in the surroundings.

Consequences of the Adopted Fatal Addictive Duplet

This review focus on strong association of smoking and alcohol use with a variety of adverse human health effects, most prominently with cancer and cardiovascular diseases and a number of negative outcomes as a risk factor for diseases and health impacts: crime, road incidence and for some, alcohol dependence. To keep track of alcohol consumption and smoking and its consequences and to raise awareness amongst the public and policy-makers, national monitoring systems to be developed. Tobacco smoking is highly prevalent throughout the world and is, perhaps, the greatest modifiable risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality. Physicians, Pharmacists, Nurses and other healthcare providers have substantial opportunities to influence the pattern of smoking and alcohol usage. Keywords: Alcohol, Smoking, Coronary Heart Disease, Hepatotoxicity, Cancer, Atherosclerosis, Cytochrome P450 enzymes, Alcohol-Drug Interactions, Smoking-Drug Interactions, Smoking and Alcohol Cessation.