Parenting from Prison: Perceptions of Incarcerated Parents\u27 Ability and Influence

Incarcerated parents are at a substantially higher risk for losing their legal right to parent than the general public. This study assessed implicit perceptions and biases that may play a role in these legal decisions, specifically the perceptions of incarcerated parents’ ability to parent and influence their children’s lives. Court appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteers’ (N = 242) perceptions of incarcerated parents based on the parents’ personal characteristics, characteristics of their children, and characteristics of their criminal activity were assessed through a true-experiment design. Ordinal regression analyses revealed that age of child, level of violence in the crime committed, and criminal history are all relevant factors in assessing parental ability and influence. Additionally, patterns were found in respondents’ open-ended responses suggesting that racial and gender bias may also play a role, despite the statistical nonsignificance of close-ended responses. Implications and future directions are discussed

Forecasting the price of corn on the basis of current crop reports

Digitized 2007 AES.Includes bibliographical references (pages 30-31)

A new and striking <i>Fusinus</i> (Gastropoda: Fasciolariidae) from Chile

A new species of Fasciolariidae is described from deep water off the Chilean coast. The shell and the radula of the new species are compared with Fusinus valdiviae Hadorn & Fraussen, 1999 and with some species of the buccinid genera Aeneator Finlay, 1927 and Bayerius Olsson, 1971

DNA-Mediated Self-Assembly of Artificial Vesicles

Although multicompartment systems made of single unilamellar vesicles offer the potential to outperform single compartment systems widely used in analytic, synthetic, and medical applications, their use has remained marginal to date. On the one hand, this can be attributed to the binary character of the majority of the current tethering protocols that impedes the implementation of real multicomponent or multifunctional systems. On the other hand, the few tethering protocols theoretically providing multicompartment systems composed of several distinct vesicle populations suffer from the readjustment of the vesicle formation procedure as well as from the loss of specificity of the linking mechanism over time.In previous studies, we presented implementations of multicompartment systems and resolved the readjustment of the vesicle formation procedure as well as the loss of specificity by using linkers consisting of biotinylated DNA single strands that were anchored to phospholipid-grafted biotinylated PEG tethers via streptavidin as a connector. The systematic analysis presented herein provides evidences for the incorporation of phospholipid-grafted biotinylated PEG tethers to the vesicle membrane during vesicle formation, providing specific anchoring sites for the streptavidin loading of the vesicle membrane. Furthermore, DNA-mediated vesicle-vesicle self-assembly was found to be sequence-dependent and to depend on the presence of monovalent salts.This study provides a solid basis for the implementation of multi-vesicle assemblies that may affect at least three distinct domains. (i) Analysis. Starting with a minimal system, the complexity of a bottom-up system is increased gradually facilitating the understanding of the components and their interaction. (ii) Synthesis. Consecutive reactions may be implemented in networks of vesicles that outperform current single compartment bioreactors in versatility and productivity. (iii) Personalized medicine. Transport and targeting of long-lived, pharmacologically inert prodrugs and their conversion to short-lived, active drug molecules directly at the site of action may be accomplished if multi-vesicle assemblies of predefined architecture are used

Predicting Understorey VegetationCover from Overstorey Attributes in Two Temperate MountainForests

Summary : It is important to develop a predictive understanding for the environmental controls on understorey vegetation, which harbor most of the plant biodiversity and are the source of food and cover for wildlife. Forest succession models (i. e. gap models) representing overstorey dynamics are not commonly linked to mathematical models of understorey dynamics. This is surprising, given that understorey vegetation clearly responds to changes in the overstorey that result in changing light availability. One difficulty may lie in the coarse representation of light regime captured by most gap models. Linkage of overstorey-understorey models might be facilitated if the diameter structure of simulated stands could be used to drive understorey change, as a proxy for light and other influences. The objective of this study was to determine whether understorey vegetation cover can be adequately predicted by variables derived from overstorey diameter structure alone, or if canopy cover and light availability are important, from additional predictors. Field sampling was conducted at a montane and a subalpine study area in the Swiss Alps. We used regression analysis to assess the relative importance of various overstorey predictors for understorey cover and composition. In the subalpine study area, the relative dominance of graminoids increased with increasing light availability, at the expense of forbs. In the montane study area, forb cover increased sharply with increasing light, while graminoid cover remained at low levels. As a result, the relative dominance of graminoid species declined with increasing light levels. This difference is attributed to the presence of Adenostyles alliariae, a tall, large-leaved forb. The effects of changes in the physical environment on plant community composition were thus mediated by interspecific interactions. This makes it difficult to predict overstorey-induced changes in understorey species composition at the level of functional groups. At both study sites, diameter structure variables were found to provide a reasonable approximation of total understorey cover, cover of the more common species, and species richness. Models of understorey community composition often improved (0-31% increased predictive ability) with inclusion of variables representing the light environment. In the context of gap model development, the great complexity associated with improved representation of light availability must be weighed against the relatively low gain in predictive power that is likely to result. We recommend that efforts to include forest understorey dynamics in gap models begin by considering empirical relationships between understorey patterns and overstorey diameter structur

Towards human-centered cyber-physical systems: a modeling approach

In this paper we present a new CPS model that considers humans as holistic beings, where mind and body operate as a whole and characteristics like creativity and empathy emerge. These characteristics influence the way humans interact and collaborate with technical systems. Our vision is to integrate humans as holistic beings within CPS in order to move towards a human-machine symbiosis. This paper outlines a model for human-centered cyber-physical systems (HCPSs) that is based on our holistic system model URANOS. The model integrates human skills and values to make them accessible to the technical system, similarly to the way they are accessible to humans in human-to-human interaction. The goal is to reinforce the human being in his feeling of being in control of his life experience in a world of smart technologies. It could also help to reduce human bio-costs like stress, job fears, etc. The proposed model is illustrated by the case study of smart industrial machines, dedicated machines for smart factories, where we test the human integration through conversation

Blood, sweat, and cannabis: real-world policy evaluation of controversial issues

The motivation of this article is to address the ambivalent position of policy analysis when it intervenes in the real-world policy process through policy evaluation. It tackles the underresearched question of the challenges faced by policy analysis in relation to applied research mandates. It argues that policy analysis is constantly at risk of instrumentalisation by politico-administrative players. The article is based on the evaluation of the medical cannabis policy in Switzerland as a case study. The results point out four specific challenges faced by applied policy analysis: political pressure, scientific integrity, access to sensitive data, and epistemic legitimacy. However, applied policy analysis can contribute to de-escalating controversies by presenting a bigger and contextualised picture of the considered political issues. Policy evaluation can identify deficient implementation processes, but also wider mismatches among legislative and societal processes. Hence, although evidence is subordinated to other factors in the decision-making process, evaluations provide an outside perspective, which can help solving controversies around policies. The article contributes to the literature on the politics of policy analysis by showing that confronting policy analysis with practical problems brings both scientific and policy benefits

Structuring complexity for tailoring research contributions to sustainable development: a framework

Research aiming at generating effective contributions to sustainable development faces particular complexity related challenges. This article proposes an analytical framework disentangling and structuring complexity issues with which research for sustainable development is confronted. Based on theoretical conceptions from fields like policy sciences and transdisciplinary research as well as on an in-depth analysis of the concept of sustainable development, three meta-perspectives on research for sustainable development are introduced and elaborated. The first perspective focuses on notions of sustainable development, sorting out the problem of unclear or ambiguous interpretations of the general sustainability objectives in specific contexts. The second perspective introduces a broad conception of the policy process representing the way societal change towards sustainable development is brought about. It supports identifying those academic and non-academic actors and stakeholders that are relevant for coming up with effective knowledge contributions. The third perspective identifies different forms of knowledge that are needed to tackle sustainability problems as well as the significance of their mutual interrelations. How the framework perspectives support reflecting on the fundamental complexity issues research for sustainable development is confronted with is illustrated using a case example from natural scientific research in the field of land use. We argue that meeting the complexity inherent in the concept of sustainable development requires joint learning in policy processes, working out shared visions being in line with the core objectives of sustainable development and generating knowledge about empirical, normative and pragmatic aspect

EASY-ABSORPTION DIET AS A THERAPEUTIC COMPLEMENT in CHILDHOOD DIARRHEA

PONTIFICIA UNIV CATOLICA,SOROCABA MED SCH,DEPT PEDIAT,São Paulo,BRAZILUNIV GRAZ,KINDERKLIN,A-8036 GRAZ,AUSTRIAWeb of Scienc