Exploration into the Beliefs about Paternal Roles : The Development of the Beliefs about Paternal Roles Inventory

The aim of this study was to design and validate a self-report inventory of beliefs about paternal roles as expressed by mothers and fathers. A random sample of parents (N = 103) was administered the Beliefs about Paternal Roles – Initial Version to assess its psychometric properties. Results showed positive psychometric properties for 4 (Affection & Emotion, Engagement, Family, and Physical Well-Being) of the 12 proposed domains of paternal roles. Acceptable levels of internal consistency reliability were demonstrated for these four domains by the coefficient alpha of .84. A factor analysis of these four domains yielded a factor that says that paternal roles are basically viewed as direct involvement with children. The study supports the idea that different and distinct behaviors do comprise direct involvement. Areas of future research include continued development of the inventory with diverse populations and further testing of its psychometric properties

Plasmaspheric Plumes: Crres Observations Of Enhanced Density Beyond The Plasmapause

CRRES plasma wave receiver density data were used to study the distribution and properties of dense plasmaspheric-like plasma observed outside the plasmapause. Our study indicates that outer plasmaspheric structure, often called plasmaspheric plumes, blobs, tails, or detached plasma regions, can exist at all local times under all levels of geomagnetic activity. Of the 558 CRRES orbits that had at least one clearly defined plasmapause, 169 (or 30%) had plasmaspheric-like density structures at higher L shells than the plasmapause. Most of the occurrences of plasmaspheric-like plasma observed by CRRES were in the noon-to-dusk sector in the aftermath of enhanced geomagnetic activity consistent with plasmaspheric plume models

Estrategias de vida de los hogares: perspectiva conceptual y metodológica a través de la encuesta anual de hogares de la ciudad de Buenos Aires

La perspectiva conceptual y metodológica que se presenta en este trabajo se centra en las estrategias de vida entendidas como el conjunto de actividades que llevan a cabo los diferentes miembros del hogar para hacer posible su reproducción cotidiana y generacional en su interacción con diversos procesos (económicos, sociales) e instituciones sociales, en función del lugar que ocupan en la estructura social. Los estudios encuadrados en este enfoque han identificado una gran diversidad de estrategias. entre las cuales se encuentran: la inserción laboral de sus miembros, la reestructuración de la división del trabajo, la ampliación de las redes sociales, los cambios en el tamaño y composición del hogar, las migraciones, las modificaciones en pautas de consumo. La propuesta conceptual y metodológica que se presenta en este trabajo tiene a los hogares como unidad de análisis y elabora una mirada complementaria a los estudios sobre ingresos, con eje en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. En particular, busca conocer las diversas maneras en las que los hogares despliegan arreglos familiares e individuales a los fines de su manutención e identificar su vinculación con distintos contextos macroeconómicos. Sobre la base de esta propuesta analítica, se propone clasificar las estrategias de manutención según ordenadores conceptuales más amplios, partiendo del bloque temático específico contenido en la Encuesta Anual de Hogares de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (EAH), y analizar su evolución en el tiempo y su relación con características sociodemográficas de los hogares. La EAH releva información de, aproximadamente, 6.500 viviendas dentro de las cuales se encuestan a todos los hogares y sus miembros. Se trata de una encuesta por muestreo de carácter probabilístico estratificado que proporciona información representativa para el total de la Ciudad y para cada comuna.The conceptual and methodological perspective presented in this paper focuses on the strategies of life, understood as the set of activities carried out by different household members to enable their daily and generational reproduction in its interaction with various processes (economic, social) and social institutions, depending on their place in the social structure. Studies framed in this approach have identified a wide variety of strategies: the employment of its members, the restructuring of the division of labor, the expansion of social networks, changes in household size and composition, migration, changes in consumption patterns, among others. The conceptual and methodological proposal presented in this paper has to households as the unit of analysis and develops a complementary perspective to the studies on income, with axis in the City of Buenos Aires. In particular, it seeks to understand the various ways in which households deploy individual and family arrangements for the purposes of his maintenance and identify its relationship with different macroeconomic contexts. Based on this analytical approach, it is proposed to classify maintenance strategies as broader conceptual computers, based on the specific thematic content block at the Annual Household Survey of the City of Buenos Aires (EAH) and analyze their evolution over time and relationship with sociodemographic characteristics of households. The EAH relieves information about 6.500 dwellings within which all households are surveyed and their members. It is a stratified sample survey of probabilistic nature and provides information representative for the total for each city and municipality.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Raman Spectroscopy of Nascent Soot Oxidation: Structural Analysis During Heating

The effect of oxidation on nascent soot particles is investigated in this work by means of Raman spectroscopy. Three different soot particle samples are produced in a lightly sooting ethylene/air laminar premixed flame and collected at different residence times. The samples are characterized by a different size of primary particles and a different degree of aging and hence graphitization, and they are representative of the early evolution of nascent soot in flames. Oxidation of particles is induced by exposing the samples to a high temperature oxidation treatment in air over a range of temperature 25–500°C. To this aim, a programmable heating microscope stage is used. Thermo-optical transmission (TOT) measurements are used to characterize the chemical composition of pristine particles in terms of organic and elemental carbon content, also providing the pyrolytic carbon fraction of the organic carbon. The TOT results show that the organic fraction is constant for the three conditions. On the other hand, the pyrolytic carbon fraction decreases and the elemental carbon increases when moving from the sample composed of just-nucleated particles to the sample mostly made of mature soot particles. Raman spectroscopy reveals that the thermal oxidation treatment performed on the sample of just-nucleated particles, with the highest organic carbon content, results in a reduction of the amorphous carbon component. Conversely, the sample of mature soot, with the highest elemental carbon content, shows an increase in the amorphous carbon phase after oxidation, which is attributed to fragmentation or the formation of point defects by O2 oxidation. Finally, the thermal oxidation procedure produces a strong reduction in the photoluminescence signal detected from Raman spectra

Ambiguous results of an attempt to withdraw barbiturates in epilepsy patients with intellectual disability

AbstractPhenobarbital and primidone frequently have adverse effects on mental functions. Therefore, an attempt was made to taper barbiturates in 85 patients out of a resident population with epilepsy and intellectual disability who were selected according to clinical criteria. The objectives were to reduce the use of barbiturates, to improve the patients’ cognitive and psychological state, and to reduce polypharmacy while avoiding seizure exacerbation. Four months after complete withdrawal changes in seizure frequency were assessed as well as changes in cognitive abilities, psychological state and behaviour (using the clinical global impression scale). In 13 patients the tapering failed due to complications (seizure increase in 11 patients). In 72 patients the barbiturate was completely withdrawn (mean duration of tapering: 393 days). Cognitive improvement was achieved in 17 patients (23.6%), 5 patients (6.9%) deteriorated. Seizure frequency remained unchanged in 33 patients (45.8%), in another 15 patients (20.8%) the seizure frequency decreased. Reduction in polypharmacy was obtained in 61 patients (84.7%). In an overall judgement (clinical global impression scale) of cognitive abilities AND seizure control, 25 patients (34.7%) were improved. 31 patients (43.1%) remained unchanged while 12 patients deteriorated (4 patients: impossible to judge). For statistical analysis three outcome groups were defined: the improved group (N=25), the unchanged group (N=31), and the deteriorated/failed group (N=25) consisting of the 12 deteriorated patients plus the 13 patients in whom tapering failed. Stepwise logistic regression revealed a history of an attempt to withdraw phenobarbital/primidone (p=0.017; OR 3.8), age (p=0.012) and seizure frequency (marginally significant: p=0.097) as outcome predictors. Older age was associated with better outcome. A high seizure frequency before tapering was related to good outcome, while seizure freedom and a history of failed withdrawal were associated with deterioration/failure. Outcome did not depend on duration of barbiturate therapy, dosage or serum concentration, co-medication, reduction rate, degree of intellectual disability, or epilepsy syndrome. In summary, the number of barbiturate medications has been considerably reduced, but the principal aim of the project, to relieve patients from assumed barbiturate side effects, has been achieved only in one out of four patients