Parental Leave Policies in 21 Countries: Assessing Generosity and Gender Equality

This report examines the parental leave policies in 21 high-income nations and identifies five "best practices" for parental leave policies. The study shows that the U.S. has the least generous leave policies of the 21 countries examined in the report. The states exhibiting the five best practices include Finland, France, Greece, Norway, Spain, and Sweden

Parental Leave Policies in 21 Countries: Assessing Generosity and Gender Equality

This report examines the parental leave policies in 21 high-income nations and identifies five "best practices" for parental leave policies. The study shows that the U.S. has the least generous leave policies of the 21 countries examined in the report. The states exhibiting the five best practices include Finland, France, Greece, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.parental leave

An inbred line of the diploid strawberry Fragaria vesca f. semperflorens for genomic and molecular genetic studies in the Rosaceae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The diploid woodland strawberry (<it>Fragaria vesca</it>) is an attractive system for functional genomics studies. Its small stature, fast regeneration time, efficient transformability and small genome size, together with substantial EST and genomic sequence resources make it an ideal reference plant for <it>Fragaria </it>and other herbaceous perennials. Most importantly, this species shares gene sequence similarity and genomic microcolinearity with other members of the Rosaceae family, including large-statured tree crops (such as apple, peach and cherry), and brambles and roses as well as with the cultivated octoploid strawberry, <it>F</it>. ×<it>ananassa</it>. <it>F. vesca </it>may be used to quickly address questions of gene function relevant to these valuable crop species. Although some <it>F. vesca </it>lines have been shown to be substantially homozygous, in our hands plants in purportedly homozygous populations exhibited a range of morphological and physiological variation, confounding phenotypic analyses. We also found the genotype of a named variety, thought to be well-characterized and even sold commercially, to be in question. An easy to grow, standardized, inbred diploid <it>Fragaria </it>line with documented genotype that is available to all members of the research community will facilitate comparison of results among laboratories and provide the research community with a necessary tool for functionally testing the large amount of sequence data that will soon be available for peach, apple, and strawberry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A highly inbred line, YW5AF7, of a diploid strawberry <it>Fragaria vesca </it>f. <it>semperflorens </it>line called "Yellow Wonder" (Y2) was developed and examined. Botanical descriptors were assessed for morphological characterization of this genotype. The plant line was found to be rapidly transformable using established techniques and media formulations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The development of the documented YW5AF7 line provides an important tool for Rosaceae functional genomic analyses. These day-neutral plants have a small genome, a seed to seed cycle of 3.0 - 3.5 months, and produce fruit in 7.5 cm pots in a growth chamber. YW5AF7 is runnerless and therefore easy to maintain in the greenhouse, forms abundant branch crowns for vegetative propagation, and produces highly aromatic yellow fruit throughout the year in the greenhouse. <it>F. vesca </it>can be transformed with <it>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</it>, making these plants suitable for insertional mutagenesis, RNAi and overexpression studies that can be compared against a stable baseline of phenotypic descriptors and can be readily genetically substantiated.</p

“Everyone Off the Ship”: Children Becoming Civic Minded in a Summer Literacy Program

Increased emphasis in recent years on reading and/or math achievement have sidelined social studies teaching in elementary education (Boyle-Baise, Hsu, Johnson, Serriere, & Stewart, 2012; Heafner & Fitchett, 2012; McMurrer, 2007; Shapiro & Brown, 2018). When teachers do address civics education, instruction typically sets up students for future citizenship duties, with a focus on rules and laws (Moyer, 1981; Swalwell & Payne, 2019). This traditional banking model of schooling (Freire, 1970/2009) makes children the receivers of knowledge and overlooks what they can do already (Swalwell & Payne, 2019). Efforts are needed to rethink “civics education as an emancipatory experience in which children learn to actively negotiate their identity and sense of belonging” (Berson & Berson, 2019, p. 75). Framed by posthuminist theories, the work of Freire, and problem-based learning, our research examined the experiences of children participating in a summer literacy program in Tennessee as they developed awareness, sense of belonging, and engagement, demonstrating that they were citizens bringing about change in their own community. Findings and implications for practice are discussed

Supported Families Grow Healthy Children: Branching Out Services to Support Children, Families, and Communities Impacted by Punitive Practices in the Criminal Justice System

The well-being of Minnesota’s children and families is negatively impacted by punitive practices. Investing in programs that divert parents from the criminal justice system ensures parental accountability while contributing to healthy children, families, and communities

Cationic surfactants as a non-covalent linker for oxidised cellulose nanofibrils and starch-based hydrogels

Rheological properties of hydrogels composed of TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF)-starch in the presence of cationic surfactants were investigated. The cationic surfactants dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used to trigger gelation of OCNF at around 5 mM surfactant. As OCNF and DTAB/CTAB are oppositely charged, an electrostatic attraction is suggested to explain the gelation mechanism. OCNF (1 wt%) and soluble starch (0.5 and 1 wt%) were blended to prepare hydrogels, where the addition of starch to the OCNF resulted in a higher storage modulus. Starch polymers were suggested to form networks with cellulose nanofibrils. The stiffness and viscosity of OCNF-Starch hydrogels were enhanced further by the addition of cationic surfactants (5 mM of DTAB/CTAB). ζ -potential and amylose-iodine complex analyses were also conducted to confirm surface charge and interaction of OCNF-starch-surfactant in order to provide an in-depth understanding of the surfactant-induced gel networks

Cationic surfactants as a non-covalent linker for oxidised cellulose nanofibrils and starch-based hydrogels

International audienceRheological properties of hydrogels composed of TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF)-starch in the presence of cationic surfactants were investigated. The cationic surfactants dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used to trigger gelation of OCNF at around 5mM surfactant. As OCNF and DTAB/CTAB are oppositely charged, an electrostatic attraction is suggested to explain the gelation mechanism. OCNF (1 wt%) and soluble starch (0.5 and 1 wt%) were blended to prepare hydrogels, where the addition of starch to the OCNF resulted in a higher storage modulus. Starch polymers were suggested to form networks with cellulose nanofibrils. The stiffness and viscosity of OCNF-Starch hydrogels were enhanced further by the addition of cationic surfactants (5mM of DTAB/CTAB). ζ -potential and amylose-iodine complex analyses were also conducted to confirm surface charge and interaction of OCNF-starch-surfactant in order to provide an in-depth understanding of the surfactant-induced gel networks

Understanding heat driven gelation of anionic cellulose nanofibrils: Combining Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) NMR, Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and rheology

A novel mechanism of heat-triggered gelation for oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF) is reported. We demonstrate that a synergistic approach combining rheology, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and saturation transfer difference NMR (STD NMR) experiments enables a detailed characterisation of gelation at different length scales. OCNF dispersions experience an increase in solid-like behaviour upon heating as evidenced by rheological studies, associated with enhanced interfibrillar interactions measured using SAXS. Interactions result in an increased fibrillar overlap and increased population of confined water molecules monitored by STD NMR. In comparison, cationic cellulose nanofibrils (produced by reaction of cellulose with trimethylglycidylammonium chloride) were found to be heat-unresponsive

\u3ci\u3eMycobacterium bovis \u3c/i\u3ein Coyotes from Michigan

During a survey for tuberculosis in wild carnivores and omnivores, Mycobacteriurn bovis was cultured from pooled lymph nodes of three adult female coyotes (Canis latrans) harvested by hunters in Michigan (USA). No gross or histologic lesions suggestive of tuberculosis were seen in these animals. One coyote was taken from Montmorency county and two coyotes from Alcona county located in the northeastern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula where free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been found infected with bovine tuberculosis. It is thought that these coyotes became infected with M. bovis through the consumption of tuberculous deer. Other species included in the survey were the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), raccoon (Procyon lotor), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), bobcat (Felis rufus), and badger (Taxidea taxus)

Polyubiquitin binding to ABIN1 is required to prevent autoimmunity

The protein ABIN1 possesses a polyubiquitin-binding domain homologous to that present in nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) essential modulator (NEMO), a component of the inhibitor of NF-kappa B (I kappa B) kinase (IKK) complex. To address the physiological significance of polyubiquitin binding, we generated knockin mice expressing the ABIN1[D485N] mutant instead of the wild-type (WT) protein. These mice developed all the hallmarks of autoimmunity, including spontaneous formation of germinal centers, isotype switching, and production of autoreactive antibodies. Autoimmunity was suppressed by crossing to MyD88(-/-) mice, demonstrating that toll-like receptor (TLR)-MyD88 signaling pathways are needed for the phenotype to develop. The B cells and myeloid cells of the ABIN1[D485N] mice showed enhanced activation of the protein kinases TAK, IKK-alpha/beta, c-Jun N-terminal kinases, and p38 alpha mitogen-activated protein kinase and produced more IL-6 and IL-12 than WT. The mutant B cells also proliferated more rapidly in response to TLR ligands. Our results indicate that the interaction of ABIN1 with polyubiquitin is required to limit the activation of TLR-MyD88 pathways and prevent autoimmunity