List of Boxes. List of Tables and Figure. Preface. Abbreviations. Introduction. 1. Capitalism and the Capitalist Type of State. 2. The Keynesian Welfare National State. 3. The Schumpeterian Competition State. 4. Social Reproduction and the Workfare State. 5. The Political Economy of State Rescaling. 6. From Mixed Economy to Metagovernance. 7. Towards Schumpeterian Workfare Postnational Regimes?. Notes. References. Index.

The Future of the Capitalist State.

Objectives. We analyzed differences in pediatric elevated blood lead level incidence before and after Flint, Michigan, introduced a more corrosive water source into an aging water system without adequate corrosion control. Methods. We reviewed blood lead levels for children younger than 5 years before (2013) and after (2015) water source change in Greater Flint, Michigan.We assessed the percentage of elevated blood lead levels in both time periods, and identified geographical locations through spatial analysis. Results. Incidence of elevated blood lead levels increased from 2.4% to 4.9% (P<.05) after water source change, and neighborhoods with the highest water lead levels experienced a 6.6% increase. No significant change was seen outside the city. Geospatial analysis identified disadvantaged neighborhoods as having the greatest elevated blood lead levelincreases andinformed response prioritization during the now-declared public health emergency. Conclusions. The percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels increased after water source change, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Water is a growing source of childhood lead exposure because of aging infrastructure. (Am J Public Health. 2016;106:283–290. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.303003)

https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2015.303003

Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Associated With the Flint Drinking Water Crisis: A Spatial Analysis of Risk and Public Health Response

Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools Diane Ravirch New York: Knopf, 2013. 416 pages. $14-34 USD/Paperbac Diane Ravitch spent decades advocating metrics and alternatives for elementary and secondary public school reform, including some years in government implementing the current assessment-as-accountability regime, but, by 2006, she doubted her own prescription for public school ills. This itch in her mind turned into two books, The Life and Death of the Great American School System, a careful mea culpa regarding testing and a data-driven attack on data-fixation, and, most recently, Reign of Error. As a New York University research professor of education, she also founded an organization, the Network for Public Education (NPE). All of these efforts are aimed fundamentally at the primary and secondary educational systems in the U.S., but the arguments are relevant to community colleges, particularly in the Obama administration. Community colleges today face such questions of "reform"--Ravitch often puts this word in doubtful quotes--and the community college may fall for the same hoax. Ravitch outlines the view of "reformers" in chapters 3-8 of Life and Death and chapters 2-4 and 14-20 of Reign of Error as seeing schools preparing children to become participants in the society's economy. This vision, argues Ravitch, emphasizes two elements: standardized tests and social engineering. Standardized tests are the first social modality by which academic competition is exercised. At this level, a child is getting practice and developing skills that suit one for a competitive economy: self-control, the efficient use of instrumental reason, calculations of utility, innovation, initiative-taking, and so on; but more specifically, job-relevant skills come along eventually, and by assessing disaggregated skills instead of the aggregated judgment that grades make, the system can more precisely sort its future workers. Educational services deliverers get their own grade, from their output--from the scores that their students make, assessed over time. The other element comparative testing emphasizes is a social engineering aspect: that people of differential abilities and aptitudes will be sorted by testing into those career and academic pathways in which they will be comparatively advantaged--on the Adam Smith and David Ricardo model, more or less. Market utility is the appropriate standard of judgment for an individual, according to the reformers' view, because it is the standard of judgment for a collectivity. The strength of corporations (the "bottom line") and countries (military, GDP) is similarly assessed quantitatively. In advanced societies, the citizen labor force is stratified according to performance, which is measured by one "earning what one deserves"--by differential monetary life outcomes. A well-formed education system thus prepares each person for the slot in the economy in which she is most apt to attain her greatest comparative advantage--that which will, among the measurable outcomes, result in her maximum lifetime income-earning potential. Privatization melds public and private interest, in this view, because it allows maximum room for competitive pressures to sort out to any desired level of detail the most efficient producers of society-specific, needed workforce skills. Assessing student learning disaggregated by skill performance facilitates tracking students into the most contributory pathways and prepares them for competitive job-hunting and job-keeping. Similarly, assessing instruction drives teachers and teaching institutions into the most efficient delivery of the most demanded knowledge and skills. Anything that gets in the way of this quantized, data-driven approach is a market inefficiency--as well as, on the reformers' view, a social anachronism and a political albatross. …

Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools

High Stakes Education: Inequality, Globalization, and Urban School Reform, by Pauline Lipman. New York: Routledge, 2004. 224pp. $29.95, paperback. Through a case study of four elementary schools in the Chicago system, Lipman argues that "neoliberal education programs and the drive to accountability and standardization have won out because they have captured the national, even international conversation about education as the only alternative for the 'failure' of public schooling" (p. 180). She skillfully argues the intricate connections between realities of race, globalization, the economy, and politics that hold the answers to real school reform. As Lipman carefully walks us through her rigorous ethnographic study of teachers, students, parents, and the Chicago Public School systems policies, it is clear that current policies and practices must be challenged and changed in order for schools to successfully educate our youth and future workers. That challenge, according to the author, requires a new language of critique that incorporates the multiple perspectives of teachers, students, families, and communities that are committed to providing the best education for children. That change must incorporate more progressive and socially just policies and means of assessing quality and effective learning in all schools. Through the extensive interviews and thorough analysis of school policies, Lipman is able to show what happens to teachers and schools when the measure of its success is predicated purely on the results of tests, accountability, and standards. She uncovers the "hidden effects," of strict accountability requirements and shows that urban schools are often training grounds for secondclass citizenry, further disenfranchising youth as communities of citizens that will never realize the "American dream," nor have the opportunity to improve their lives. She confirms Jay MacLeod's (1995) findings that schools provide the training for low-skilled jobs, thus "leveling" students' aspirations but at the same time reprimanding these youths and their parents for not being academically, socially, or economically successful. Whereas MacLeod's study of two gangs in a housing project leads to similar conclusions through sociological theoretical lens, Lipman is thorough in her analysis of urban education and its "human cost" as it interrelates with global, economic, and political policies in this nation. She frames her analysis around four social justice imperatives-equity, agency, cultural relevance, and critical literacy, and makes it clear that race is central to the politics of education. Thus, she more strongly demonstrates how urban schools carry out urban education policy that continues to perpetuate the negative effects of poverty and unequal opportunities for our future workers, particularly African Americans and Latinas. Lipman leads us to recognize that new policies for success, largely related to the accountability measures and consequences of No Child Left Behind (2002), have relegated teaching and learning to teaching for the test, disregarding any concerns students bring to school, or recognizing any other talents. Through her critical examination of "successful," as well as "failing schools," she raises questions about standardization, arguing that "these new standards and measures of accountability exacerbate existing educational and social inequities and contribute to new ones" (p. 3). Understanding the negative effect of high-stakes testing and accountability measures, one can quickly relate these findings to low-wage jobs, lack of health care and retirement security, racism, homelessness, and the new immigrant faces in the workplace. Race continues to be central to the persistence of inequality. Changing demographics, coupled with new inequalities among and within cities, have important implications for urban school policy, including rationalizing "teaching and learning to serve global economic competition" (p. …

High Stakes Education: Inequality, Globalization, and Urban School Reform

Poisoning of wild birds following ingestion of lead from ammunition has long been recognised and considerable recent research has focused on terrestrial birds, including raptors and scavengers. This paper builds upon previous reviews and finds that both the number of taxa affected and geographical spread of cases has increased. Some lead may also be absorbed from embedded ammunition fragments in injured birds which risk sub-lethal and welfare effects. Some papers suggest inter-specific differences in sensitivity to lead, although it is difficult to disentangle these from other factors that influence effect severity. Sub-lethal effects have been found at lower blood lead concentrations than previously reported, suggesting that previous effect-level ‘thresholds’ should be abandoned or revised. Lead poisoning is estimated to kill a million wildfowl a year in Europe and cause sub-lethal poisoning in another ≥ 3 million. Modelling and correlative studies have supported the potential for population-level effects of lead poisoning in wildfowl, terrestrial birds, raptors and scavengers.

/pdf/effects-of-lead-from-ammunition-on-birds-and-other-wildlife-5gu9cpajtw.pdf

Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update.

Enhanced dynamic range x-ray imaging

Avian wildlife species commonly ingest lead (Pb) spent shot or bullet fragments as grit or mistakenly as food. In previous studies in our laboratory and others, the toxicity varied based on the diet as well as type and quantity of Pb ingested. In the current study, domestic pigeons were gavaged with 1, 2, or 3 Pb pellets and then followed with weekly radiographs and blood physiologic endpoints for 28 days. Pellet retention decreased by roughly 50 % per week as pellets were either absorbed or excreted, except for week 4 where pellet number no longer was diminished. Size of retained pellets visually decreased over retention time. Birds dosed with a single #9 pellet showed mean blood Pb levels over 80 times higher than those of the controls, verifying Pb pellet absorption from the gut. A single Pb pellet also reduced plasma δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD) activity by over 80 % compared to controls, suggesting the potential for population injury in Pb pellet-exposed pigeons.

Dosing of adult pigeons with as little as one #9 lead pellet caused severe δ-ALAD depression, suggesting potential adverse effects in wild populations

BACKGROUND Administration of moxidectin topically and doxycycline PO has been utilized experimentally as an alternative treatment for heartworm disease. However, clinical effects of this protocol remain poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical and postmortem findings associated with administration of doxycycline and monthly 10% imidacloprid + 2.5% moxidectin (IMD + MOX, Advantage Multi/Advocate) to Dirofilaria immitis-experimentally infected as compared to nontreated control dogs. ANIMALS Sixteen purpose-bred, female, Beagle dogs. METHODS Prospective, blinded, experimental study. Animals with surgically transplanted adult heartworms were randomized into 2 study groups of equal size: a nontreated control group (n = 8) and an IMD + MOX and doxycycline-treated group (n = 8). Randomization was performed using a complete block design according to circulating microfilarial concentrations, measured before treatment. Serum biochemical profiles, CBCs, thoracic radiographs and echocardiograms were performed prior to and 3 weeks after transplantation, and monthly for 10 months. Postmortem gross and histopathologic evaluations were performed. RESULTS Compared to control animals, mean ± SD serum alanine aminotransferase (181 ± 203 U/L vs 33 ± 7 U/L; P < .0001) and alkaline phosphatase (246 ± 258 U/L vs 58 ± 19 U/L; P < .0001) activities were significantly higher in the treated group on day 28. Radiographic and echocardiographic evidence of heartworm disease was observed in both groups; however, no significant differences in these variables were noted between groups. Mean ± SD pulmonary arterial thrombus score was significantly higher in the treated vs nontreated group (3.9 ± 0.4 and 1.5 ± 2.1, respectively; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The treatment protocol was well-tolerated with no clinically relevant adverse effects for any variable evaluated during the observational period.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jvim.15853

Clinical assessment of heartworm-infected Beagles treated with a combination of imidacloprid/moxidectin and doxycycline, or untreated.

Many aquatic and terrestrial avian species inadvertently ingest lead (Pb) in the form of spent or fragmented ammunition, mistaking it for food or grit. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that ingestion of even a single 45-mg pellet can significantly increase blood-Pb levels and significantly inhibit the enzyme delta aminolevulinic-acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD) for a period of greater than 4 weeks. In the current study, proven breeder pairs of domestic Roller pigeons were housed in individual cages. The hens were orally gavaged with dH2O vehicle, a single #9 Pb pellet (2.0 mm/45 mg) or a single #7.5 Pb pellet (2.3 mm/95 mg), placed back with the cock bird and allowed to mate for two consecutive clutches. The eggs were monitored for fertilization, shell damage, egg weight, and length during the 16- to 18-day incubation period. Hatchlings remained with the hen and cock through the weaning period (28–35 days post hatch) and were monitored for weight, development, and mortality. Weanling blood was collected for blood-Pb levels, δ-ALAD activity, red blood cell counts, total protein, and packed cell volume. Following euthanasia, weanling liver, spleen, kidney, sciatic nerve, thymus, and brain were collected for histopathology. Egg weight and length were significantly decreased in the #7.5 Pb pellet treatment group for the first clutch, and hatchling weight 7 days post hatch also was significantly less in the #7.5 Pb pellet treatment group during the first clutch. Histopathologic analysis showed increased lesions in liver, kidney, spleen, and thymus of the Pb-treated weanlings, during both the first and second clutch compared with the non-Pb-treated weanlings. These data suggest that maternal consumption of a single 95-mg Pb pellet can adversely impact egg size and hatchling organ development.

Ingestion of a Single 2.3 mm Lead Pellet by Laying Roller Pigeon Hens Reduces Egg Size and Adversely Affects F1 Generation Hatchlings

Computed tomography (CT) of a dog with a cervical concentric wound and ventral chronic draining tract revealed a hyper-attenuating, concentric foreign body and contrast-enhancing tract. This is the first descriptive report of rubber band syndrome in a dog and CT characteristics of a subcutaneous rubber band foreign body.

Ajay Sharma

Papers

Enhanced dynamic range x-ray imaging

Dosing of adult pigeons with as little as one #9 lead pellet caused severe δ-ALAD depression, suggesting potential adverse effects in wild populations

Clinical assessment of heartworm-infected Beagles treated with a combination of imidacloprid/moxidectin and doxycycline, or untreated.

Ingestion of a Single 2.3 mm Lead Pellet by Laying Roller Pigeon Hens Reduces Egg Size and Adversely Affects F1 Generation Hatchlings

Circumferential cervical rubber band foreign body diagnosis in a dog using computed tomography.