Conceptual design and feasibility evaluation model of a 10 to the 8th power bit oligatomic mass memory. Volume 1: Conceptual design

The oligatomic (mirror) thin film memory technology is a suitable candidate for general purpose spaceborne applications in the post-1975 time frame. Capacities of around 10 to the 8th power bits can be reliably implemented with systems designed around a 335 million bit module. The recommended mode was determined following an investigation of implementation sizes ranging from an 8,000,000 to 100,000,000 bits per module. Cost, power, weight, volume, reliability, maintainability and speed were investigated. The memory includes random access, NDRO, SEC-DED, nonvolatility, and dual interface characteristics. The applications most suitable for the technology are those involving a large capacity with high speed (no latency), nonvolatility, and random accessing

Work-to-family conflict and parenting practices: Examining the role of working from home among lone and partnered working mothers

Objective: This study investigates associations between work-to-family conflict and parenting practices among lone and partnered working mothers and the role of working from home as a potential resource gain or drain for acting empathetically and supportively towards their children. Background: Emerging evidence suggests that work-to-family conflict reduces responsive parenting practices, yet prior studies have rarely examined disparities by family structure. Although working from home has recently gained in importance in the workforce, there is still little research on its implications for the relationship between work-to-family conflict and the quality of parenting practices. If working from home is not used to do supplemental work during overtime hours, it may free up mothers’ time and emotional resources. In turn, this may either buffer the harmful impact of work-to-family conflict on parenting practices or indirectly enhance the quality of parenting practices by reducing work-to-family conflict. This could be particularly beneficial for lone mothers, who experience more role and time strain. Method: Analyses were based on 1,723 working mothers and their reports on 2,820 schoolchildren drawn from a German probability sample that was collected in 2019 (i.e., before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic). Using OLS regression models, we first examined whether work-to-family conflict was associated with four dimensions of verbal parenting practices (i.e., responsive and hostile communication, responsive decision-making, and school involvement at home). Second, we conducted moderation analyses to test differences by working from home (within contract hours and for supplemental work) and family structure with two-way and three-way interactions. Third, we performed mediation analyses to examine the indirect effect of working from home on each parenting dimension mediated by work-to-family conflict. Results: Higher levels of work-to-family conflict were associated with less responsive and more hostile parenting practices. The moderation analyses did not indicate a buffering effect of working from home. Instead, the mediation analyses showed that compared to mothers who worked from home within their contract hours, those who did not work from home or who did supplemental work from home tended to report less empathic parenting practices transmitted through higher levels of work-to-family conflict. Results showed no significant associations for mothers’ school involvement at home. Furthermore, no major differences emerged between lone and partnered mothers. Conclusion: Our pre-pandemic results challenge the buffering hypothesis and suggest that working from home can be either a resource gain or drain for the mother-child relationship regardless of family structure, but depending on mothers’ opportunity to work from home within the scope of contract hours.Fragestellung: Diese Studie untersucht Assoziationen zwischen beruflich bedingten Vereinbarkeitskonflikten und elterlichen Erziehungspraktiken von berufstätigen Müttern mit und ohne Partner. Im besonderen Fokus steht dabei die Rolle von Homeoffice als potenzieller Ressourcengewinn oder -verlust für Mütter, sich empathisch und unterstützend gegenüber ihren Kindern zu verhalten. Hintergrund: Neuere Befunde legen nahe, dass sich berufliche Vereinbarkeitskonflikte negativ auf einfühlsame elterliche Erziehungspraktiken auswirken können. Bisherige Studien haben dabei aber nur selten Disparitäten nach Familienstruktur in den Blick genommen. Zudem ist trotz der gewachsenen Bedeutung von Homeoffice noch kaum erforscht, ob und wie diese Form flexiblen Arbeitens die Beziehung zwischen beruflichen Vereinbarkeitskonflikten und der Qualität von elterlichen Erziehungspraktiken beeinflussen könnte. Homeoffice, das nicht für Mehrarbeit außerhalb der vertraglichen Arbeitszeit genutzt wird, könnte für berufstätige Mütter zeitliche und emotionale Ressourcen freisetzen. Dadurch könnte Homeoffice entweder den zu erwartenden negativen Einfluss von beruflichen Vereinbarkeitskonflikten auf elterliche Erziehungspraktiken direkt abschwächen oder die Qualität der elterlichen Erziehungspraktiken indirekt verbessern, indem es Vereinbarkeitskonflikte reduziert. Dies könnte besonders Alleinerziehenden entgegenkommen, die mehr zeitliche Belastungen und Rollenkonflikte als verpartnerte Mütter erleben. Methode: Die Analysen basierten auf deutschen Daten zu 1.723 berufstätigen Müttern, die Auskunft über ihr Erziehungsverhalten zu insgesamt 2.820 Schulkindern gaben. Die Daten stammten aus dem 2019 (d.h. vor der COVID-19 Pandemie) erhobenen Survey "Aufwachsen in Deutschland: Alltagswelten" (AID:A), dem eine Wahrscheinlichkeitsstichprobe zugrunde lag. In OLS Regressionsmodellen wurden zuerst Assoziationen zwischen Vereinbarkeitskonflikten und vier Dimensionen von verbalen Erziehungspraktiken untersucht: einfühlsame und feindselige Kommunikation, einfühlsame kindbezogene Entscheidungen und häusliche Unterstützung bei Schulaufgaben. Weiterhin wurden in Moderationsanalysen Unterschiede nach der Nutzung von Homeoffice (d.h. keine, innerhalb oder außerhalb der vertraglichen Arbeitszeit) und Familienstruktur getestet. Schließlich wurden in Mediationsanalysen geprüft, inwieweit Homeoffice und Erziehungspraktiken indirekt über Vereinbarkeitskonflikte zusammenhängen. Ergebnisse: Stärkere Vereinbarkeitskonflikte waren mit weniger einfühlsamen und mehr feindseligen Erziehungspraktiken der Mütter assoziiert. Die Moderationsanalysen ergaben keine Belege für einen Puffereffekt von Homeoffice. Die Mediationsanalysen zeigten hingegen, dass Mütter, die Homeoffice entweder gar nicht oder für Mehrarbeit nutzen, stärkere Vereinbarkeitskonflikte berichteten als jene, die Homeoffice im Rahmen ihrer vertraglichen Arbeitszeit nutzten und darüber vermittelt weniger empathische Erziehungspraktiken aufwiesen. Für häusliche Unterstützung bei Schulaufgaben zeigten sich keine Zusammenhänge. Zudem wiesen die Analysen auf keine bedeutsamen Unterschiede zwischen berufstätigen Müttern mit und ohne Partner hin. Schlussfolgerung: Die prä-pandemischen Ergebnisse sprechen weder für eine Entlastung noch zusätzliche Belastung für die Erziehungspraktiken von Müttern, die im Kontext erhöhter Arbeitsanforderungen Homeoffice nutzen. Vielmehr ergänzen und erweitern die Ergebnisse frühere Studien zu direkten Zusammenhängen zwischen Homeoffice und Vereinbarkeitskonflikten. Abhängig von der Art der Homeoffice-Nutzung (d.h. innerhalb oder außerhalb des vertraglichen Arbeitszeitrahmens), kann diese Form flexiblen Arbeitens unabhängig von der Familienstruktur mit Ressourcengewinnen oder -verlusten für die Mutter-Kind-Beziehung einhergehen

Change in maternal well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Did pre-pandemic social support and parenting stress buffer or aggravate mental health disparities among lone and partnered mothers in Germany?

Objective: Our study aims to examine whether and how pre-pandemic conditions shaped change in well-being among partnered and lone mothers in Germany. Background: The lives and daily routines of parents changed dramatically because of the pandemic, which affected their mental health. Particularly mothers reported increased psychological distress during the pandemic, which is likely related to the higher load of care responsibilities mothers shouldered to compensate for pandemic-related childcare and school closures. Yet mixed findings emerged on the pandemic’s impact on lone mothers, who were already suffering from poorer mental health compared to partnered mothers. Method: We use longitudinal data from a probability sample surveyed before and during the pandemic to examine changes in maternal well-being (i.e., subjective psychological well-being and general life satisfaction), and differences between lone and partnered mothers in Germany (N = 3,578; 14.3% lone mothers at baseline). Results: Socioeconomic status was positively associated with changes in maternal well-being, but no difference emerged between lone and partnered mothers. Although levels of pre-pandemic social support and parenting stress did not affect changes in maternal well-being among partnered mothers, these factors were associated with a less pronounced decline in maternal well-being among lone mothers. Conclusion: The lack of differences between lone and partnered mothers could be due to implemented institutional safety nets for lone mothers, and increased relationship strain for partnered mothers, during the pandemic.Fragestellung: Die Studie hat das Ziel, Veränderungen des Wohlbefindens von alleinerziehenden Müttern und Müttern in Paarhaushalten während der COVID-19 Pandemie zu untersuchen und den Einfluss von vorpandemischen Bedingungen zu prüfen. Hintergrund: Vor dem Hintergrund der vielfältigen Herausforderungen für Familien während der COVID-19 Pandemie, berichten insbesondere Mütter von vermehrten psychischen Belastungen. Diese sind auch auf die erhöhten Anforderungen von Betreuungsaufgaben zurückzuführen, die vor allem Mütter durch pandemiebedingte Schließungen von Schul- und Kinderbetreuungseinrichtungen übernehmen mussten. Bisherige Befunde zu den Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf das Wohlbefinden von alleinerziehenden Müttern im Vergleich zu Müttern in Paarfamilien sind jedoch uneinheitlich. Methode: Zur Beantwortung der Fragestellung werden Längsschnittdaten einer Zufallsstichprobe herangezogen, die vor und während der COVID-19 Pandemie erhoben wurden. Mit den vorliegenden Daten ist es möglich, Veränderungen des mütterlichen Wohlbefindens (d.h. subjektives psychologisches Wohlbefinden und allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit) für Alleinerziehende und Mütter in Paarhaushalten zu untersuchen (N = 3.578; 14,3% alleinerziehende Mütter zu Beginn der Studie). Ergebnisse: Die Veränderung des mütterlichen Wohlbefindens stand in einem positiven Zusammenhang mit dem sozioökonomischen Status, wenngleich es keine Unterschiede zwischen Alleinerziehenden und Müttern in Paarhaushalten gab. In Hinblick auf die Rolle von vorpandemischer sozialer Unterstützung und Erziehungsstress zeigten die Ergebnisse, dass diese Faktoren keinen Einfluss auf die Veränderung des Wohlbefindens von Müttern in Paarhaushalten hatten. Für alleinerziehende Mütter hingegen trugen diese Faktoren dazu bei, dass sich deren Wohlbefinden in der Pandemie weniger stark verringerte. Schlussfolgerung: Fehlende Unterschiede zwischen alleinerziehenden Müttern und Müttern in Paarhaushalten könnten darauf zurückzuführen sein, dass während der Pandemie institutionelle Sicherheitsnetze für alleinerziehende Mütter geschaffen wurden und Paarbeziehungen mitunter stärker belastet waren

Young Adults’ Personal Goal Appraisals over the Great Recession Years : A Case Study of Germany

In 2008, the “Great Recession” gained its momentum and quickly grew into a global crisis that led to massive gross domestic product declines and job losses in countries around the world. Relative to prior economic downturns, young adults were greatly affected by the Great Recession. This likely placed a premium on the need for adaptation and strategic goal setting in order to successfully launch into adulthood in a competitive economic climate. This dissertation is comprised of two quantitative studies that examined change and stability in German young adults’ personal goals over the Great Recession years. Both studies utilized a sample of young adults aged 18-29 in 2008, drawn from the German Socio-Economic Panel (N = 3,292; 52.3% women). Young adults’ personal goal appraisals at the onset of the recession in 2008 were then compared to goal appraisals during the recovery phase in 2012. Study 1 utilized a micro-analytic lens to emphasize interdependencies of personal goals across multiple life domains such as family, work, leisure, and self-fulfillment. In light of economic strain arising from the Great Recession, young adults were expected to adjust and adapt appraisals of personal goals across life domains from the beginning of the recession to its recovery. Using latent transition models, two profiles of personal goal adaptation were extracted, which primarily differed in the endorsement of family formation goals (low vs. high). Only a small share of individuals transitioned between the profiles over time. Females, older participants, and partnered and employed respondents were more likely to be classified into high family formation profile. Surprisingly, the results did not point toward a drastic rejection of family formation in favor of higher endorsements of self-fulfillment and work goals, or vice versa. The high degree of stability in profiles of goal appraisals indicated that: (1) holding on to family formation goals seemed to be important for emotional well-being; and (2) maintaining high aspirations on multiple goals was a protective factor in times of economic strain. To complement the micro-analytic perspective of Study 1, the second study utilized a macro-analytic lens. It examined whether the availability of community resources—so-called local opportunity structures—buffered young adults from, or exposed them to, the effects of the recession in ways that altered their personal goals. Because men were more heavily affected by the recession than young women, as were certain geographical areas, this study focused on the effects of gender, community type (i.e., rural, urbanized, and urban), and regional indicators across federal states on change in appraisals of personal goals across life domains. Multilevel models revealed a decrease in work goals and an increase in family formation and pro-social goals. Regional indicators did not directly relate to goal appraisals, except the importance of having children, but rather amplified gender and community type differences in the rate of change in appraisals. Results suggested that (1) local opportunity structures served as intermediate institutional filters through which macro-level effects of the recession were transmitted to individuals; and, (2) reproductive goals seem particularly prone to contextual influences. Taken together, the two studies focused on recession-related changes in young adults’ personal goal appraisals and were informed by distinct but complementary analytical and theoretical traditions. Study 1 took a more holistic, group-centered approach, which leaned more heavily on theories affiliated with life span psychology. Study 2, in contrast, applied a variable-centered methodology, which drew heavily on life course sociology. Findings across both studies suggested that (1) family formation goals were highly salient despite potential influences of the recession and could be a protective factor; (2) goal appraisals may have been resistant to macro-level economic pressures because they largely followed age-normative patterns; and (3) intermediate institutional filters, such as local opportunity structures, play an important role in explaining the link between macro-level recession effects and micro-level goal adaptation

Was kommt nach der Schule? Wie sich Jugendliche mit Hauptschulbildung auf den Übergang in die Ausbildung vorbereiten. Übergangspanel II (2017)

"Jeder vierte Jugendliche verlässt die Schule mit maximal einem Hauptschulabschluss - und die unsicheren, vor allem beruflichen, Zukunftsaussichten belasten immer mehr dieser jungen Menschen. Das zeigt eine repräsentative Studie des Deutschen Jugendinstituts (DJI), bei der bundesweit etwa 1.200 Schülerinnen und Schüler, die sich kurz vor dem Hauptschulabschluss befinden, befragt wurden. Während in der aktuellen Erhebung fast die Hälfte der Jugendlichen verunsichert in ihre berufliche Zukunft blicken, waren es im Jahr 2004 lediglich 37 Prozent." Die Untersuchung enthält quantitative Daten. Forschungsmethode: empirisch-quantitativ; empirisch; Befragung; Längsschnitt. Die Untersuchung bezieht sich auf den Zeitraum 2016 bis 2017. (Autor

Lone Mothers' Repartnering Trajectories and Health: Does the Welfare Context Matter?

Abstract We examined the relationship between lone mothers’ repartnering and health in three welfare contexts: the dual-earner, market-oriented, and general family policy model. Drawing on the resources and crisis models, we applied mixture modeling for spell data of the Harmonized Histories data set. We uncovered six distinct repartnering trajectories that varied regarding the timing, type, and stability of higher-order unions for different cohorts of lone mothers. Unstable repartnering was more frequent in market-oriented contexts, while contexts with more comprehensive family support fostered more stable repartnering. Although repartnering trajectories were overall not associated with health, these associations differed by welfare context. Mothers experiencing repartnering, though unstable, reported enjoying better health if living in market-oriented contexts rather than in general or dual-earner contexts. Altogether, our findings suggest that even if higher financial needs in less-generous welfare may translate in more unstable repartnering histories, this seems to have positive spillover effects on mothers’ health

Changes in Legal Regulations, Parental Health and Well-being, and Children’s Care Arrangements in Post-Separation Families in Switzerland

This study examines the prevalence and socio-demographic profiles of post-separation parents practicing shared physical custody (SPC) in Switzerland, and its associations with parental health and well-being. We analyzed data from two samples of post-separation parents: one surveyed before and one shortly after family law changes facilitating parents’ access to SPC. In both samples, SPC parents represented only a small fraction and SPC was associated with parents’ higher education or less financial strain. SPC-health and -well-being linkages also varied by education. We conclude that prevailing gender-biased employment practices may counteract the broadened access to SPC by reinforcing more traditional sole custody models among less resourceful parents

Development of new plant type for pinto beans: Progress, problem and future prospects

Research and development of a reliable dry land production system for common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) based on low-cost direct seeding and direct harvest methods was initiated at the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan in the late 1980s. The target production area is a dry land spring wheat farming region in which lentil and pea production is well established. Effort is focussed on production of the pinto class. Three major potential improvements to the production system were identified: harvest equipment modification to improve direct harvest capability, development of early maturing germplasm with reliable expression of a crop canopy suitable for direct harvesting systems, and appropriate agronomy to improve the reliability of production. The research effort in harvest equipment modifications resulted in commercialization of a new design of lifter and reel assembly for combines equipped with floating cutter bar headers. Field scale evaluations showed that a 50% reduction in cutter bar loss is possible with cultivars with Type III growth habit. Agronomy research for new production systems has been limited to development of improved rhizobial strains, but new areas of research will be explored as appropriate cultivars become available. Research in the area of germplasm development is specifically focussed on gains in early maturity and improvements in canopy structure, particularly for the pinto class. The ideal canopy structure for the production system is one in which all pods are situated above the combine cutter bar at the time of harvest. Specific improvements to the canopy structure include development of early maturing genotypes with elongated Type I growth habit, Type II growth habit or Type III growth habit without basal clustering of pods. In addition, an effort is underway to develop genotypes with shorter pods to maximize cutter bar clearance are under development and with pods with reduced lignin to minimize shattering and maximize cutter bar clearance. Reduction of lignin in pods may help reduce shattering at the time of harvest due to reduced dehiscence. Pods with reduced lignin tend to curve upward at the time of maturity, allowing better clearance of the cutter bar. Agronomic comparisons of F2-derived F4 and F5 lines showed that in some populations cutter bar losses can be reduced by up to 50%