Fathers stepping up? A cross-national comparison of fathers’ domestic labour and parents’ satisfaction with the division of domestic labour during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted work and family life around the world. For parents, this upending meant a potential re-negotiation of the ‘status quo’ in the gendered division of labour. A comparative lens provides extended understandings of changes in fathers’ domestic work based in socio-cultural context–in assessing the size and consequences of change in domestic labour in relation to the type of work-care regime. Using novel harmonized data from four countries (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) and a work-care regime framework, this study examines cross-national changes in fathers’ shares of domestic labour during the early months of the pandemic and whether these changes are associated with parents’ satisfaction with the division of labour. Results indicate that fathers’ shares of housework and childcare increased early in the pandemic in all countries, with fathers’ increased shares of housework being particularly pronounced in the US. Results also show an association between fathers’ increased shares of domestic labour and mothers’ increased satisfaction with the division of domestic labour in the US, Canada, and the UK. Such comparative work promises to be generative for understanding the pandemic’s imprint on gender relations far into the future

Rapid adaptive optical recovery of optimal resolution over large volumes

Using a descanned, laser-induced guide star and direct wavefront sensing, we demonstrate adaptive correction of complex optical aberrations at high numerical aperture (NA) and a 14-ms update rate. This correction permits us to compensate for the rapid spatial variation in aberration often encountered in biological specimens and to recover diffraction-limited imaging over large volumes (>240 mm per side). We applied this to image fine neuronal processes and subcellular dynamics within the zebrafish brain

Are sexual media exposure, parental restrictions on media use and co-viewing TV and DVDs with parents and friends associated with teenagers' early sexual behaviour?

Sexual content in teenagers' media diets is known to predict early sexual behaviour. Research on sexual content has not allowed for the social context of media use, which may affect selection and processing of content. This study investigated whether sexual media content and/or contextual factors (co-viewing, parental media restrictions) were associated with early sexual behaviour using 2251 14–15 year-olds from Scotland, UK. A third (<i>n</i> = 733) reported sexual intercourse. In multivariable analysis the likelihood of intercourse was lower with parental restriction of sexual media and same-sex peer co-viewing; but higher with mixed-sex peer co-viewing. Parental co-viewing, other parental restrictions on media and sexual film content exposure were not associated with intercourse. Findings suggest the context of media use may influence early sexual behaviour. Specific parental restrictions on sexual media may offer more protection against early sex than other restrictions or parental co-viewing. Further research is required to establish causal mechanisms

A Complete Electron Microscopy Volume of the Brain of Adult Drosophila melanogaster.

Drosophila melanogaster has a rich repertoire of innate and learned behaviors. Its 100,000-neuron brain is a large but tractable target for comprehensive neural circuit mapping. Only electron microscopy (EM) enables complete, unbiased mapping of synaptic connectivity; however, the fly brain is too large for conventional EM. We developed a custom high-throughput EM platform and imaged the entire brain of an adult female fly at synaptic resolution. To validate the dataset, we traced brain-spanning circuitry involving the mushroom body (MB), which has been extensively studied for its role in learning. All inputs to Kenyon cells (KCs), the intrinsic neurons of the MB, were mapped, revealing a previously unknown cell type, postsynaptic partners of KC dendrites, and unexpected clustering of olfactory projection neurons. These reconstructions show that this freely available EM volume supports mapping of brain-spanning circuits, which will significantly accelerate Drosophila neuroscience. VIDEO ABSTRACT

Optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes

In this work we measure the optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and carbon nanotube materials. The bare polarized optical absorption cross sections of SWNTs are obtained for the first time, and a large anisotropy is found for light polarized parallel and perpendicular to the nanotube axes. This result validates predicted depolarization effects and also allows rapid measurement of the alignment of nanotube dispersions. Utilizing these calibrated cross sections, the mechanics of SWNTs in a magnetic field are investigated, and alignment of these molecules shows contributions from both the SWNT intrinsic diamagnetic response and external permanent moments. These magnetic alignment measurements are extended using resonant polarized photoluminescence, and we obtain the pure diamagnetic anisotropies for individual (n, m) SWNT species. Magnetic alignment spectroscopy is also used to detect the presence of SWNT bundles, and in all semiconducting SWNT bundles we discover new photoluminescence features providing direct evidence of energy transfer between SWNTs in a bundle. Micro-photoluminescence studies on individual tubes show SWNT emission properties depend strongly upon the SWNT environment. We find energy shifts in the photoluminescence emission can be controlled by varying the excitation power absorbed into the SWNT, and suggest these shifts originate from thermal outgassing of adsorbates on the SWNT sidewalls. Thermal properties of percolated nanotube networks embedded in SWNT-epoxy composites are obtained using a custom thermal conductivity measurement and show enhancements in excess of 50% over pure epoxy. The electrical resistance of novel conducting carbon nanotube aerogels are characterized, and a series of electrical pulses is found to increase the conductivity of polymer-reinforced varieties by several orders of magnitude. Transport and optical measurements on nanotube ensembles show unexplained effects at sub-Tesla magnetic fields with near identical field profiles. We investigate these low field effects as a function of temperature, surfactant, field direction, and discuss the results in the context of mechanisms established for effects in other materials

Optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes

In this work we measure the optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and carbon nanotube materials. The bare polarized optical absorption cross sections of SWNTs are obtained for the first time, and a large anisotropy is found for light polarized parallel and perpendicular to the nanotube axes. This result validates predicted depolarization effects and also allows rapid measurement of the alignment of nanotube dispersions. Utilizing these calibrated cross sections, the mechanics of SWNTs in a magnetic field are investigated, and alignment of these molecules shows contributions from both the SWNT intrinsic diamagnetic response and external permanent moments. These magnetic alignment measurements are extended using resonant polarized photoluminescence, and we obtain the pure diamagnetic anisotropies for individual (n, m) SWNT species. Magnetic alignment spectroscopy is also used to detect the presence of SWNT bundles, and in all semiconducting SWNT bundles we discover new photoluminescence features providing direct evidence of energy transfer between SWNTs in a bundle. Micro-photoluminescence studies on individual tubes show SWNT emission properties depend strongly upon the SWNT environment. We find energy shifts in the photoluminescence emission can be controlled by varying the excitation power absorbed into the SWNT, and suggest these shifts originate from thermal outgassing of adsorbates on the SWNT sidewalls. Thermal properties of percolated nanotube networks embedded in SWNT-epoxy composites are obtained using a custom thermal conductivity measurement and show enhancements in excess of 50% over pure epoxy. The electrical resistance of novel conducting carbon nanotube aerogels are characterized, and a series of electrical pulses is found to increase the conductivity of polymer-reinforced varieties by several orders of magnitude. Transport and optical measurements on nanotube ensembles show unexplained effects at sub-Tesla magnetic fields with near identical field profiles. We investigate these low field effects as a function of temperature, surfactant, field direction, and discuss the results in the context of mechanisms established for effects in other materials

Characterization, comparison, and optimization of lattice light sheets

Lattice light sheet microscopy excels at the noninvasive imaging of three-dimensional (3D) dynamic processes at high spatiotemporal resolution within cells and developing embryos. Recently, several papers have called into question the performance of lattice light sheets relative to the Gaussian sheets most common in light sheet microscopy. Here, we undertake a theoretical and experimental analysis of various forms of light sheet microscopy, which demonstrates and explains why lattice light sheets provide substantial improvements in resolution and photobleaching reduction. The analysis provides a procedure to select the correct light sheet for a desired experiment and specifies the processing that maximizes the use of all fluorescence generated within the light sheet excitation envelope for optimal resolution while minimizing image artifacts and photodamage. We also introduce a new type of "harmonic balanced" lattice light sheet that improves performance at all spatial frequencies within its 3D resolution limits and maintains this performance over lengthened propagation distances allowing for expanded fields of view

Fathers Stepping Up? A Cross-National Comparison of Fathers’ Domestic Labor and Parents’ Satisfaction with the Division of Domestic Labor During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted work and family life around the world. For parents, this upending meant a potential re-negotiation of the “status quo” in the gendered division of labor. A comparative lens provides extended understandings of changes in fathers’ domestic work based in socio-cultural context—in assessing the size and consequences of change in domestic labor in relation to the type of work-care regime. Using novel harmonized data from four countries (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) and a work-care regime framework, this study examines cross-national changes in fathers’ shares of domestic labor during the early months of the pandemic and whether these changes are associated with parents’ satisfaction with the division of labor. Results indicate that fathers’ shares of housework and childcare increased early in the pandemic in all countries, with fathers’ increased shares of housework being particularly pronounced in the US. Results also show an association between fathers’ increased shares of domestic labor and mothers’ increased satisfaction with the division of domestic labor in the US, Canada, and the UK. Such comparative work promises to be generative for understanding the pandemic’s imprint on gender relations far into the future