Applications,Enrollment, Attendance,and Student Performance in Rebuilt School Facilities: A Case Study

Public school construction represents a significant portion of all construction spending in the United States; yet, the average age of United States’ public schools is 42 years old. This article focuses on magnet schools in a large urban school district in the United States. The study examines whether construction, building age, and building condition have an impact on magnet applications, enrollment, attendance, and student achievement measures. Twenty-eight magnet elementary schools in the school district were chosen for analysis. The experimental group (n=14) included all magnet elementary schools (kindergarten to 5^th grade [K-5]) rebuilt under three school bond programs. The control group (n=14) included randomly selected elementary schools (K-5) from the 32 remaining elementary schools in the district that were not rebuilt. Multiple regressions were conducted using building and student data gathered during the 2011-2012 school year. Results indicate that building composite score and building age had no observable predictive effects on magnet applications, student enrollment, or student attendance, in both groups. However, student achievement was positively affected by building composite score as measured by the ability to predict state percentile ranking. This study supports that building and maintaining high quality educational facilities has the potential to raise student achievement levels.     

Young low responders protected from untoward effects of reduced ovarian response

OBJECTIVE(S): To correlate fertilization and clinical pregnancy rates (PRs) in low responders with their E2 levels (<500, 500-800, >800-1,000 pg/mL), age (20-30, 31-40, >40 years), number of follicles, and number of oocytes retrieved. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: The IVF unit of an academic hospital. PATIENT(S): One hundred forty-three women who failed to attain E2 levels of 1,000 pg/mL on the day of hCG administration. INTERVENTION(S): Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, blood E2 and progesterone measurements, ultrasonographic scanning of ovarian follicles, oocyte retrieval after hCG administration, and ET. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Clinical PR. RESULT(S): Although E2 levels, fertilization rates, age, and number of oocytes did not differ significantly between the three age groups, the PR achieved in the youngest group was approximately three times as high (19.3%) as that achieved in the two older groups. CONCLUSION: Young low responders represent a unique subset in that their age protects them from the deleterious effects of poor ovarian response.     

Domain-structured N1,N2-derivatized hydrazines as inhibitors of ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase: redox-cycling considerations

Eight analogues of 1-[5-halogenosalicylidene]-2-[2'-pyridinoyl]hydrazine and -[2'-pyridyl]hydrazine, four of 1-[pyridoxylidene]-2-[2'-pyridinoyl]hydrazine, seven of 1-[pyridoxylidene]-2-[2'-pyridyl]hydrazine, and one each of 1, 2-bis[pyridoxylidene]diaminoethane and bis[pyridoxylidenehydrazino]phthalazine were synthesized. Their solutions in DMF were assayed for activity against the metalloenzyme ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase (RdR), prepared from a subcutaneously growing murine tumor (sarcoma 180) implanted in B6D2F3 male mice. The 14C-labeled CDP reductase was assayed by the modified method of Takeda and Weber, in which [14C]cytidine was separated from deoxycytidine by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) on cellulose foil. Distribution of radioactivity was assessed with an automatic TLC linear analyzer. Of the 31 compounds tested, 13 were essentially inactive, 7 were highly active against RdR, and the remaining 20 were slightly more active than hydroxyurea (used as a reference compound). The mechanism of inhibition is discussed in terms of three alternative pathways, initiated by sequestration of iron embedded in the R1 subunit of the metalloenzyme to form a C-centered chelate radical (via redox cycling). Alternatively, the latter could either reduce the tyrosyl radical or intercept radicals generated in the reduction process.     

The Synthesis,Crystal and Molecular Structure,and Oxidation State of Iron Complex from Pyridoxal Isonicotinoyl Hydrazone and Ferrous Sulphate

The reaction of isonicotinoyl hydrazone of pyridoxal (PIH), a biologically active iron-carrier, with FeSO₄-7H₂0 at pH ∼ 6 generates the delta, lamda species of the N,N-trans-O,O-cis-cis coordination isomer of an iron(III) complex with iron-to-ligand ratio of 1:2. The dark red-brown crystals are monoclinic, space group C2/c, with unit-cell dimensions a = 14.487(2), b = 18.586(2), c = 27.508(4) Å, β = 102.76(3)°, and Z = 8. The coordination around the metal is distorted octahedral and involves the protonated organic ligands, which are chelated through the phenolic oxygen [Fe-O1 1.941(6), Fe-O1′ 1.938(6)], an enolic form of the carbonyl oxygen [Fe-O3 2.017(6), Fe-O3′ 2.018(6)] and the azomethinic nitrogen [Fe-N2 2.133(8), Fe-N2′ 2.133(8)]. Packing is determined by systems of N-H….O and O-H….O hydrogen bonds involving the protonated pyridoxal nitrogens, the pyridoxal hydroxymethyl group, and the [SO₄]²⁻ group. The Mössbauer spectra at different temperatures (300 K, 88 K and 4.1 K) clearly prove that the iron atom in the complex is in a high-spin trivalent state.     

Identification of parameters for embodied energy measurement: A literature review

The building construction industry consumes a large amount of resources and energy and, owing to current global population growth trends, this situation is projected to deteriorate in the near future. Buildings consume approximately 40 percent of total global energy: during the construction phase in the form of embodied energy and during the operation phase as operating energy. Embodied energy is expended in the processes of building material production (mining and manufacture), on-site delivery, construction and assembly on-site, renovation and final demolition. Recent studies have considered the significance of embodied energy inherent in building materials, with a specific focus on this fraction of sequestered energy. Current interpretations of embodied energy are quite unclear and vary greatly, and embodied energy databases suffer from problems of variation and incomparability. Furthermore, there is no reliable template, standard or protocol regarding embodied energy computations that could address these problems in embodied energy inventories. This paper focuses on the analysis of existing literature in order to identify differing parameters so that development of a consistent and comparable database can be facilitated.     

Alternative Modes of Addition of Electrophilic Olefins to the Vinylcyclopropane Systems in 2,2-Ethano-1-Methylene-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydronaphthalene and 1,1-Ethano-2-Methylene-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydronaphthalene

The title compounds 2,2-ethano-1-methylene and 1,1-ethano-2-methylene-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene ( 13 and 14 respectively) were synthesized by the Wittig reaction from the corresponding ethano-tetralones ( 16 ) and ( 19 ) which were, in turn, prepared from the respective α- and β-tetralones ( 15 ) and ( 18 ). It is shown that the reaction of ( 13 ) with TCNE at 0° yields the corresponding [2 + 2] cycloaddition adduct ( 20 ), isomerizing thermally to the formal [2 + 5] cycloaddition adduct ( 21 ). Compound ( 13 ) reacts with N-tosylisocyanate (TIC) and with N-phenylsulfonylisocyanate (PSI) to a 4:1-isomeric mixture of (Z)- and (E)-acryloamides ( 24 ) and ( 26 ), respectively. The reaction of ( 14 ) with TCNE at 0° leads to the [2 + 5] cycloadduct ( 30 ), while with (TIC) and (PSI) the corresponding tricyclic adducts ( 28a ) and ( 28b ) result. Bromination of ( 16 ) with NBS yielded the respective 4-bromo-2,2-ethano-1-tetralone ( 31 ) which gave, upon dehydrobromination with the aid of DBU, the naphtho-dihydrofurane derivative ( 34 ). The latter was formed most likely via facile cyclopropylketone upon dihydrofurane rearrangement of an initially formed 2,2-ethano-1-oxo-1,2-dihydronaphthalene ( 32 ) which was desired for the formation of ( 33 ). Structures of all new compounds were assigned on basis of analytical and spectroscopic data (IR, UV, mass spectra, ¹H-NMR).     

Oxydoreduction and Complex Formation Between Fe3+ Ions and Acetylacetonedioxime

The reactions between Fe³⁺ ions and acetylacetonedioxime (AADO) have been studied by potentiometric, polarographic and spectrophotometric methods. Two Fe³⁺ ions are reduced in aqueous solution by one AADO molecule to give Fe²⁺ ions and the oxidized form of AADO (NPO = AADO-2e = 2-nitrosopent-2-en-4-one oxime). NPO forms a water soluble, red coloured complex with Fe (III). The synthesis of bis (2-nitrosopent-2-en-4-one oximato) Fe (III) complex is described. The elemental analysis of the solid complex is consistent with the composition FeO (NPO)₂ (OH). The IR, EPR and Mössbauer spectra of the complex are presented and the bonding properties of the coordination environment of Fe (III) is discussed. A mechanism for the oxydoreduction and complexation reactions for the Fe³⁺ -AADO system is proposed and its kinetic parameters are: k_ox.red. = 1.72 × 10 ^?1 min^?1, k_compl. = 5.13 l0^?2min^?1.