Fathers in Fragile Families

Nonmarital childbearing has increased dramatically in the U.S. since the early 1960s, rising from 6% of all births in 1960 to fully 40% in 2007 (Hamilton, Martin, & Ventura, 2009; Ventura & Bachrach, 2000). Whereas similar trends have occurred in many developed nations, the U.S. stands out in the extent to which such births are associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and relationship instability, giving rise to a new term ‘fragile families.’ The increase in fragile families reflects changes not only in the context of births but also in the fundamental nature and patterns of childrearing, particularly with respect to fathers’ roles and involvement with children.Fragile families, childbearing, nonmarital childbearing, fartherhood, fathers

DOES MOTHER KNOW BEST?: A COMPARISON OF BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL FATHERS AFTER A NONMARITAL BIRTH

High rates of nonmarital childbearing combined with high rates of instability and repartnering in nonmarital relationships portend that a large proportion of children born to unmarried mothers can expect to spend time with a ‘social father.’ This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the prevalence and characteristics of social fathers during the first three years following a nonmarital birth. The results indicate that 22% of unmarried mothers have formed new partnerships by the time their child is age three, and 12% are living with their new partners. The results also indicate that re-partnering represents a gain for most mothers and children in terms of fathers’ human capital and pro-social behavior. Our findings are consistent with the idea that unmarried mothers continue to search for ‘good fathers’ after their children are born and that many of these women are successful in their search.

Couples as Partners and Parents over Children’s Early Years

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine couple how couple relationship quality and parental engagement are linked over children’s early years. Our sample includes 1,630 couples that are co-resident over years 1 to 3 and 1,376 over years 3 to 5 (1,196 over both periods). Overall, we find that better relationship quality predicts greater parental engagement for both mothers and fathers—especially from children’s infant to toddler years; we find little evidence that parenting predicts future relationship quality. Married and cohabiting couples are generally similar in how relationship quality and parenting are linked. When couples are having their first birth, relationship quality is more strongly tied to parental engagement for fathers (but not mothers).Couple relationship quality, parenting, fragile families

Evaluating the triple bottom line in the implementation of photovoltaic systems in UK social housing

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warnings regarding the detrimental effects of carbon dioxide emissions and global warming have gained acceptance amongst many governments (IPCC 2001). The UK government has agreed to reduce emissions, implement a package of enabling measures (UKCCP 2000) and issued an Energy White Paper (HMSO 2003) calling for a diversification of energy supply policies which will include renewable sources.Housing accounts for approximately 25% of UK CO2 emissions and as providers of social housing, Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and their tenants are major contributors. RSLs are deliverers of national policy in several areas and contribute to the attainment of governmental environmental, social and economic targets and impact upon the wider demands of housing policy, healthcare, education and law &amp; order (DETR 1999, Cole and Shayer 1998).Photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation could deliver &ldquo;free&rdquo; electricity to the low income households historically housed by RSLs. PV helps address such issues as fuel poverty and could be used as a stimulus for creating interest in areas of low demand for social housing.RSLs provide housing solutions which cross traditional economic, social and environmental divides and this lends their modus operandi to the concept of the triple bottom line. The triple bottom line enables social and environmental aspects to be considered alongside economic considerations within decision-making frameworks (Elkington 1999, Andreason 1995).Using a qualitative research methodology, this paper assesses current commercial viability of PV installations on RSL developments and identifies key barriers to implementation. The paper also investigates whether the application of the triple bottom line can liberate RSLs from viewing PV as a non-viable option by enabling a greater emphasis to be placed on the social &amp; environmental aspects of PV. The paper considers whether a framework for RSLs to improve their decision-making processes by embracing social &amp; environmental factors is feasible.<br /

African immigrant parents\u27 understanding of their teenager\u27s newly diagnosed diabetes status in Western Australia

Background: Recently Western Australia has seen a rise in African population due to both economic and refugee migration. Concurrently, a rise in the numbers of teenagers of African origin diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and associated complications has been noticeable. Different ethnic background is a known risk factor for poor metabolic control; this trend is reflected in studies wherein people of African origin have been found to have a high risk of developing diabetes. What is evident from health promotion literature is that parents of teenagers with a chronic health condition, when they are well informed about that condition, play a key part its management. Little is known, though, about what African migrant parents understand about diabetes and its dietary control

Integrin α2β1 Expression Regulates Matrix Metalloproteinase-1-Dependent Bronchial Epithelial Repair in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is caused by inhalation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which damages the bronchial epithelial barrier to establish local infection. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 plays a crucial role in the immunopathology of TB, causing breakdown of type I collagen and cavitation, but this collagenase is also potentially involved in bronchial epithelial repair. We hypothesized that the extracellular matrix (ECM) modulates M. tuberculosis-driven matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression by human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs), regulating respiratory epithelial cell migration and repair. Medium from monocytes stimulated with M. tuberculosis induced collagenase activity in bronchial epithelial cells, which was reduced by ~87% when cells were cultured on a type I collagen matrix. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 had a focal localization, which is consistent with cell migration, and overall secretion decreased by 32% on type I collagen. There were no associated changes in the specific tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Decreased matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion was due to ligand-binding to the α2β1 integrin and was dependent on the actin cytoskeleton. In lung biopsies, samples from patients with pulmonary TB, integrin α2β1 is highly expressed on the bronchial epithelium. Areas of lung with disrupted collagen matrix showed an increase in matrix metalloproteinases-1 expression compared with areas where collagen was comparable to control lung. Type I collagen matrix increased respiratory epithelial cell migration in a wound-healing assay, and this too was matrix metalloproteinase-dependent, since it was blocked by the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001. In summary, we report a novel mechanism by which α2β1-mediated signals from the ECM modulate matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion by HBECs, regulating their migration and epithelial repair in TB

Detección y estudios específicos en el trastorno de aprendizaje procesal

The main disabilities in non-verbal learning disorder (NLD) are: the acquisition and automating of motor and cognitive processes, visual spatial integration, motor coordination, executive functions, difficulty in comprehension of the context, and social skills. AIMS. To review the research to date on NLD, and to discuss whether the term 'procedural learning disorder' (PLD) would be more suitable to refer to NLD. DEVELOPMENT: A considerable amount of research suggests a neurological correlate of PLD with dysfunctions in the 'posterior' attention system, or the right hemisphere, or the cerebellum. Even if it is said to be difficult the delimitation between NLD and other disorders or syndromes like Asperger syndrome, certain characteristics contribute to differential diagnosis. Intervention strategies for the PLD must lead to the development of motor automatisms and problem solving strategies, including social skills. CONCLUSIONS: The basic dysfunction in NLD affects to implicit learning of routines, automating of motor skills and cognitive strategies that spare conscious resources in daily behaviours. These limitations are partly due to a dysfunction in non-declarative procedural memory. Various dimensions of language are also involved: context comprehension, processing of the spatial and emotional indicators of verbal language, language inferences, prosody, organization of the inner speech, use of language and non-verbal communication; this is why the diagnostic label 'PLD' would be more appropriate, avoiding the euphemistic adjective 'non-verbal'

Improved Semileptonic Form Factor Calculations in Lattice QCD

We investigate the computational efficiency of two stochastic based alternatives to the Sequential Propagator Method used in Lattice QCD calculations of heavy-light semileptonic form factors. In the first method, we replace the sequential propagator, which couples the calculation of two of the three propagators required for the calculation, with a stochastic propagator so that the calculations of all three propagators are independent. This method is more flexible than the Sequential Propagator Method but introduces stochastic noise. We study the noise to determine when this method becomes competitive with the Sequential Propagator Method, and find that for any practical calculation it is competitive with or superior to the Sequential Propagator Method. We also examine a second stochastic method, the so-called ``one-end trick", concluding it is relatively inefficient in this context. The investigation is carried out on two gauge field ensembles, using the non-perturbatively improved Wilson-Sheikholeslami-Wohlert action with N_f=2 mass-degenerate sea quarks. The two ensembles have similar lattice spacings but different sea quark masses. We use the first stochastic method to extract ${\mathcal O}(a)$-improved, matched lattice results for the semileptonic form factors on the ensemble with lighter sea quarks, extracting f_+(0)

What First-Year Teachers Really Want From Principals During Their Induction Year: A Beginning Teacher Study Group\u27s Shared Inquiry

University teacher educators have a role to play in helping their graduates manage the transition from formal teacher preparation to independent teaching. This study focuses on a shared inquiry that five first-year elementary teachers conducted while participating in a monthly study group facilitated by two teacher educators from their teaching preparation program. The novices regularly perceived a lack of support from their campus administrator, including failing to give the beginning teachers permission to carry out teacher research projects they had designed. After analyzing the degree and kinds of support that they did or did not receive from their principals, the beginning teachers developed four recommendations for principals to help novices feel well-supported during their initial year of teaching, including (1) developing productive relationships with novices, (2) helping novices becoming insiders to the campus, (3) being a visible presence in beginning teachers’ classrooms, and (4) establishing and/or sustaining a professional learning community on the campus