The dissolution of first-birth unions in Sweden: exploring policy impacts and differences by marital status

"This paper is an attempt to shed more light on the relationship between changes in policies around family dissolution and increasing family instability among parents in Sweden from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Data extracted from the Swedish Family Survey of 1992/93 are analysed using the method of intensity (hazard) regression. The results suggest both direct and indirect policy effects. Such direct impacts are indicated for joint custody for children and for father's use of parental leave, while the long-term influence of no-fault divorce law seems to be very limited on family stability. Indirect policy impacts are seen for the effects of different educational levels and employment statuses on partnership dissolution. Also by marital status interesting differences were found regarding the determinants of parents' relationship stability in Sweden." (author's abstract)"Im vorliegenden Artikel wird der Versuch unternommen mehr Licht auf die Zusammenhänge zwischen den familienpolitischen Veränderungen im Bereich Scheidung/ Trennung und der zunehmenden Familieninstabilität, die in Schweden von Mitte der sechziger bis zu den frühen neunziger Jahren zu registrieren war. Zu diesem Zweck wurden die Daten des schwedischen Familiensurveys von 1992/93 regressionsanalytisch ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse belegen sowohl direkte wie auch indirekte Einflüsse familienpolitischer Maßnahmen. Direkte Einflüsse manifestieren sich zum Beispiel im Hinblick auf die gemeinsame elterliche Sorge und die Inanspruchnahme des Erziehungsurlaubs von Vätern. Langzeiteinflüsse von Veränderungen des Scheidungsgesetzes (z.B. Wegfall des Schuld-Paragrafen) scheinen sich dagegen nur sehr begrenzt auf die Familienstabilität auszuwirken. Indirekte familienpolitische Einflüsse lassen sich belegen anhand der Tatsache, dass sich Ausbildungsniveau und beruflicher Status auf die Scheidungs-/ Trennungsquoten auswirken. Interessanterweise scheint auch der Familienstand eine Variable zu sein, die sich auf die Stabilität der Partnerbeziehung auswirkt." (Autorenreferat

Quiescent and flare analysis for the chromospherically active star Gl355 (LQHya)

We discuss ROSAT and ASCA observations of the young active star Gl355}. During the ROSAT observation a strong flare was detected with a peak flux more than an order of magnitude larger than the quiescent level. Spectral analysis of the data allows us to study the temperature and emission measure distribution, and the coronal metal abundance, for the quiescent phase and, in the case of ROSAT, also during the evolution of the flare. The global coronal metallicity $Z/Z_{\odot} \sim 0.1$ derived from both ROSAT and ASCA data is much lower than solar and presumably also much lower than the photospheric abundance expected for this very young star. The temperature structure of the quiescent corona was about the same during the various observations, with a cooler component at $T_1 \sim 7$ MK and a hotter component (to which only ASCA was sensitive) at $T_2 \sim 20$ MK. During the flare, the low temperature component remained approximately constant and equal to the quiescent value, while the high-temperature component was the only one that varied. We have modeled the flare with the hydrodynamic-decay sustained-heating approach of Reale at al. (1997) and we have derived a loop semi--length of the order of $\sim 1.5$ stellar radii, i.e. much larger than the dimensions of flares on the Sun, but comparable with the typical dimensions inferred for other stellar flares. We have compared the derived loop size with that estimated with a simpler (but physically inconsistent) approach, finding that for this, as well for several other stellar flares, the two methods give comparable loop sizes. Possible causes and consequences of this result are discussed.Comment: A&A, in pres

Conservation of noIR in the Sinorhizobium and Rhizobium Genera of the Rhizobiaceae Family

International audienceIn Sinorhizobium meliloti the NolR repressor displays differential negative regulation of nodulation genes and is required for optimal nodulation. Here, we demonstrate that the NolR function is not unique to S. meliloti but is also present in other species of the Rhizobiaceae family. DNA hybridization indicates the presence of nolR homologous sequences in species belonging to the Rhizobium and Sinorhizobium genera while no hybridization signal was detected in species from the Mesorhizobium, Bradyrhizo-bium, Azorhizobium, and Agrobacterium genera. We isolated the nolR gene from the Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae strain TOM and showed that the TOM nolR gene acts similarly to S. meliloti nolR by repressing the expression of both the nodABCIJ and the nodD genes, resulting in decreased Nod factor production. The presence of a functional nolR gene in R. leguminosarum is correlated with an increased rate and extent of nodulation of pea. The conserved primary structure, the location of the DNA-binding domain, and the similar size of NolR proteins, compared with a family of small bacterial regulatory proteins including HlyU, SmtB, and the ArsR-type regulators, revealed that NolR belongs to this family

Interaction of phenol and dopamine with commercial MWCNTs

We report the adsorption of phenol and dopamine probe molecules, from aqueous solution with NaCl, on commercial multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and on their carboxylated derivative. The nanotubes were fully characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), potentiometric titration, electrophoretic mobility, and nitrogen adsorption (77K) measurements. The experimental pollutant isotherms, evaluated using the Langmuir model, showed that only 8-12% and 21-32% of the BET surface area was available for phenol and dopamine, respectively, which is far below the performance of activated carbons. Influence of the pH was more pronounced for the oxidized MWCNT, particularly with dopamine. The strongest interaction and the highest adsorption capacity occurred at pH 3 with both model pollutants on both types of nanotubes. Although the surface area available for adsorption is far lower in MWCNTs than in activated carbons, it is nonetheless substantial. In particular, delayed release of toxic molecules that are either adsorbed on the surface or trapped in the inner bore of such systems could constitute an environmental hazard. The need for further adsorption studies with regard to their environmental aspects is therefore pressing, particularly for MWCNTs in their functionalized state