Gender differences in the impact of family background on leaving the parental home

We address the question to what extent characteristics of the family of origin influence the timing of leaving the parental home and to what extent these effects differ between men and women. We use data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study to examine the effects of parental resources, atmosphere in the family of origin and family structure on leaving home to live without a partner and leaving home to live with a partner. The results indicate that a pleasant atmosphere in the parental home decreases the risk of leaving home and living in stepfamilies or single-parent families increases this risk. The availability of parental resources leads to a decreased risk of leaving home at young ages, but an increased risk at later ages. Many of these effects are found for both men and women and for both pathways out of the home. Furthermore, we find evidence that women are affected more strongly by family background characteristics than men are

The Impact of Childhood Experiences and Family Members Outside the Household on Residential Environment Choices

Choices of urban, suburban or rural residential environments have often been studied from a life-course perspective. In this paper, an examination is made of the influence of childhood experiences and of residential environment choices of family members outside the household. It is argued that socialisation, location-specific capital and the wish to maintain close family ties may result in living in a similar residential environment later in life and in similar environments to siblings and parents. Results of multinomial logistic regression analyses of data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study show that the residential environment during childhood is indeed strongly associated with the current residential environment. Moreover, individuals show a strong similarity to their parents and siblings in their residential environment, even after accounting for residential inertia and return migration.

Cyclic mechanical stretch reduces myofibroblast differentiation of primary lung fibroblasts

AbstractIn lung fibrosis tissue architecture and function is severely hampered by myofibroblasts due to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and tissue contraction. Myofibroblasts differentiate from fibroblasts under the influence of transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 but this process is also controlled mechanically by cytoskeletal tension. In healthy lungs, the cytoskeleton of fibroblasts is mechanically strained during breathing. In stiffer fibrotic lung tissue, this mechanical stimulus is reduced, which may influence fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. Therefore, we investigated the effect of cyclic mechanical stretch on fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation.Primary normal human lung fibroblasts were grown on BioFlex culture plates and stimulated to undergo myofibroblast differentiation by 10ng/ml TGFβ1. Cells were either or not subjected to cyclic mechanical stretch (sinusoidal pattern, maximum elongation 10%, 0.2Hz) for a period of 48h on a Flexercell apparatus. mRNA expression was analyzed by real-time PCR.Cyclic mechanical loading reduced the mRNA expression of the myofibroblast marker α-smooth muscle actin and the extracellular matrix proteins type-I, type-III, and type-V collagen, and tenascin C. These outcomes indicate that fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation is reduced. Cyclic mechanical loading did not change the expression of the fibronectin ED-A splice variant, but did decrease the paracrine expression of TGFβ1, thereby suggesting a possible regulation mechanism for the observed effects. The data suggest that cyclic loading experienced by healthy lung cells during breathing may prevent fibroblasts from differentiating towards myofibroblasts

Spatial Mobility, Family Dynamics, and Housing Transitions

This paper summarizes theoretical approaches and empirical research on the links between partnership and family dynamics on the one hand and spatial mobility and housing transitions on the other. Spatial mobility includes residential relocations and commuting. We consider three types of partnerships—living apart together, unmarried and married co-residential unions—and the transitions between them. We also consider separations and the death of a partner. Moreover, we pay attention to childbirth and its consequences for relocation decisions and housing. We differentiate spatial mobility according to distance and direction; housing transitions are considered mainly with respect to changes in ownership status and housing quality (e.g. size of the accommodation). In line with the adjustment perspective on spatial mobility, this paper demonstrates that spatial mobility is a means for individuals and households to adjust their housing situation and their place of residence to requirements of a changing household size and composition as well as to demands of the labor market. At the same time, spatial mobility seems to be more than a mere adjustment process of individuals or households: it is also a determinant of life course changes