This study assessed factors that contributed to global program quality in early childhood settings. The sample consisted of 180 community-based child care centers from 12 geographically and economically diverse regions in North Carolina. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) total mean score was usedas theprimary measure ofglobal program quality. The studyfound that 62 (34%) ofthe early childhoodprograms reported enrolling at leastone child with disabilities. The study also found that inclusive early childhood programs scored significantly higher on the ECERS overall than did noninclusive programs. Results ofan Analysis ofCovariance (ANCOl'lt) indicatedthree otherpredictors ofglobalprogram quality: teacher education, professional experience, and teacher self-ratings ofknowledge and skill.

BackgroundIron deficiency causes long-term adverse consequences for children and is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Observational studies suggest that iron deficiency anemia protects against Plasmodium falciparum malaria and several intervention trials have indicated that iron supplementation increases malaria risk through unknown mechanism(s). This poses a major challenge for health policy. We investigated how anemia inhibits blood stage malaria infection and how iron supplementation abrogates this protection.MethodsThis observational cohort study occurred in a malaria-endemic region where sickle-cell trait is also common. We studied fresh RBCs from anemic children (135 children; age 6–24 months; hemoglobin < 11 g/dl) participating in an iron supplementation trial (ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN07210906) in which they received iron (12 mg/day) as part of a micronutrient powder for 84 days. Children donated RBCs at baseline, Day 49, and Day 84 for use in flow cytometry-based in vitro growth and invasion assays with P. falciparum laboratory and field strains. In vitro parasite growth in subject RBCs was the primary endpoint.FindingsAnemia substantially reduced the invasion and growth of both laboratory and field strains of P. falciparum in vitro (~ 10% growth reduction per standard deviation shift in hemoglobin). The population level impact against erythrocytic stage malaria was 15.9% from anemia compared to 3.5% for sickle-cell trait. Parasite growth was 2.4 fold higher after 49 days of iron supplementation relative to baseline (p < 0.001), paralleling increases in erythropoiesis.InterpretationThese results confirm and quantify a plausible mechanism by which anemia protects African children against falciparum malaria, an effect that is substantially greater than the protection offered by sickle-cell trait. Iron supplementation completely reversed the observed protection and hence should be accompanied by malaria prophylaxis. Lower hemoglobin levels typically seen in populations of African descent may reflect past genetic selection by malaria.FundingNational Institute of Child Health and Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and Department for International Development (DFID) under the MRC/DFID Concordat.

This chapter summarizes the results of a qualitative research study of undergraduate chemistry and physics students enrolled in introductory quantum mechanics courses. We found that many of the problems the students encountered when learning quantum mechanics were not the result of a misunderstanding of the concepts being taught but the result of their employing non-productive strategies while studying and doing the homework. The goal of this chapter is to describe the problem-solving mindset the students brought to the learning of quantum mechanics as a basis for thinking about changes in the way quantum mechanics, in specific, and physical chemistry, in general, are taught.

Summary Important functions of well cement are to provide zonal isolation behind casing strings and to mechanically support and protect the casing. Experience suggests that many wells develop integrity problems related to fluid migration or loss of zonal isolation, which often manifest themselves in sustained casing pressure (SCP) or surface casing vent flows. Because the characteristic sizes of realistic migration paths are typically only on the order of tens of micrometers, detecting, diagnosing, and eventually treating migration paths remain challenging problems for the industry. As part of the recent abandonment operation of an offshore production well, sandwich joints comprising production casing, annulus cement, and intermediate casing were cut and retrieved to surface. Two of these joints were subjected to an extensive test campaign, including surface relogging, chemical analyses, and seepage testing, to better understand the ultrasonic-log response and its potential connection to rates of fluid migration. One of the joints contained an apparently well-defined top of cement (TOC) with settled barite on top. Although the settled material initially provided a complete seal against gas flow, the sealing capability was irreversibly lost as part of subsequent testing. The two joints have effective microannuli sizes in the range of tens of micrometers, in agreement with previous reports on SCP buildup in wells. On a local scale, however, we observed significant variations in cement quality from both the log results and the seepage testing. Further, we found qualitatively very good correlations between seepage-test results and the log results for the bond between cement and casings. The best bonded cement was found directly above a production casing collar, where a short segment of well-bonded cement prevented measurable steady-state seepage of nitrogen. Additional tests involving internal pressurization of the production casing suggested that certain annular-seepage characteristics are well-described by an effective microannulus at the cement/casing interfaces. We consider the two sandwich joints to be highly representative and relevant for similar mature wells that are to be abandoned.

Cemented casing sections were recovered from the upper part of a Norwegian North Sea production well during a permanent abandonment operation. The barrier quality of the cement sheath, which has been sandwiched between two casing strings for more than 30 years since the well was constructed, has been investigated. Measurements recorded using acoustic logs, fluid leakage testing, and core plug analysis are evaluated, and the results are presented. Two sections were selected from those recovered during well abandonment, the deepest from approximately 260 m depth and a second from the interval covering the top of cement (TOC). The leakage properties of these sections were measured using water and nitrogen. Core plugs were recovered from the top and bottom of each section and petrophysical, chemical, and mechanical properties were measured. The casing ends were sealed with pressure-tight bulkheads enabling acoustic logging to be performed under pressure. The sections were logged at their initial condition: "dry", as delivered onshore and thereafter "wet" after attempting to saturate them with water. Initial leakage testing with nitrogen enabled the distribution of the fluid leakage paths through the ends of each section to be visualized. The leakage path properties were observed to vary axially along each section and also for different positions around the azimuth of the outer casing. The acoustic logs were analyzed and provided a detailed map of the axial and azimuthal variations of the cement bonded to the inner casing of each well section. The variation of the log response recorded under dry and wet conditions was correlated with the leakage property variations measured along and around the casing sections. The log response was found to be consistent with the physical observations and leakage test results. The presence of microdebonding between the casing and cement and the transition to mud solids and fluid pockets above the top of the cement were readily observed. A unique and comprehensive data set has been acquired comprising acoustic logs and laboratory measurements of water and gas leakage rates and cement properties, recorded on casing sections retrieved after more than 30 years of operational exposure downhole. The measurements enabled the cement log analysis to be compared directly to physical measurements of the well barrier quality.