Now we are 21: an overview of the longitudinal Life Chances Study

The Brotherhood of St Laurence’s longitudinal Life Chances Study started in Melbourne in 1990. The study has comprised ten stages, the most recent completed in 2012 when the children, who were born in 1990, were 21 years old.This paper presents an overview of the study by outlining the published findings of each stage. It is designed to enable readers to follow up the diverse topics covered over 21 years, to point to the findings and the policy implications that have emerged and to act as a guide for possible future analysis.The study was designed as a population study in an inner urban area. It sought to explore the life chances of a group of children who were born at the same time in the same place but into very diverse families. While the study sample is not representative of all Australian children, aspects of the experiences of these families are likely to be shared by many others. The study has continued to follow the families as they moved away from the inner suburbs.Readers can also turn to the original reports for their rich detail including the parents’ and young people’s own descriptions of their experiences as well as quantitative analysis. The reports of the early stages are available through the Brotherhood of St Laurence and some libraries. The reports of stages 6 onwards are available on the Brotherhood’s website (www.bsl.org.au)

Strategic Philanthropy Integrating Investments In Asset Building: A Framework for Impact

Despite philanthropy's commitments to improve family economic security, stability, and growth, a lack of cross-sector collaboration limits the impacts including constrained public resources and siloed programmatic services. A new approach to address these challenges is the development of a framework that can more effectively tie together and shape the disparate policies, investment structures, practices, and stakeholders to leverage resources and impacts. The strategic framework of asset development helps to create an effective, integrated, and sustainable system, enabling families to move through safety nets into financial security and opportunity. Asset building integration shifts investment goals from remedying deficiencies to building on strengths by increasing capability, access, and opportunity. It enables foundations to integrate and expand the scope, scale, and long-term impact of their work, shifting the focus from families' vulnerabilities to their opportunities for success. This paper provides compelling evidence about how funders are applying this strategic approach to effect greater social and economic impact

Maximum or Minimum Differentiation? An Empirical Investigation into the Location of Firms

We empirically test some implications from location theory using the location of Los Angeles area gasoline stations in physical space and in the space of product attributes. We consider the effect of demand patterns, entry costs, and several proxies for competition -- the total number of stations, the proportion of independent stations, and the proportion of same-brand stations in a market -- on the tendency for a gasoline station to be physically located more or less closely to its competitors. Using an estimation procedure that controls for spatial correlation and controlling for market characteristics as well as non- spatial product attributes, we find that firms locate their stations in an attempt to spatially differentiate their product as general market competition increases. In other words, the incentive to differentiate in order to soften price competition dominates the incentive to cluster locations to attract consumers from rivals. We also find that spatial differentiation increases as stations become more differentiated in other station characteristics.product differentiation, spatial theory, location theory, retail gasoline

Turning 21: Life chances and uncertain transitions

  Traditionally, the transition from school to work has been important for young adults, and turning 21 was recognised as the marker of adulthood in Australia, when young people had jobs—and even families of their own. Social and economic changes over the past 30 years or so have made the transition from school to work more complex and less clear-cut. This report documents the factors that shape the lives of 123 young participants in the Life Chances Study, as they turn 21. Key points •    Stereotypes about young people obscure the diverse and complex lives of 21-year-olds. This diversity is shaped by family income, gender, ethnic background and resources. The 21-year-olds included university and TAFE students, full-time and part-time workers, young parents and jobseekers. Many were both studying and working. •    Those with fewer resources were more likely to identify as adults. They faced challenges that those with more resources could avoid. While some welcomed adulthood, others felt the burden of responsibilities. •    21-year-olds continued to rely on their families for advice, and emotional and financial support. The unequal access to resources reinforced inequalities because even though most had jobs, many still relied on their parents’ financial support—if they could. •    Disadvantage need not be intergenerational. Disadvantage or advantage persisted for some families, but not for all. Childhood in a low-income family did not necessarily condemn children to continuing disadvantage. •    Definitions of a ‘successful’ transition must take into account young people’s multiple activities and their wellbeing. Most 21-year-olds aspired to full-time employment. In this study, most of those who did not have a job and were not studying or in training had caring duties or mental health issues. Labelling these young people as ‘disengaged’ does not sufficiently capture their level of activity or wellbeing. •    Transitions for 21-year-olds are uncertain, but the social and economic resources needed to address this uncertainty are not evenly distributed. Those from high-income backgrounds with strong social supports had greater ‘choice’ while negotiating their pathways than those from lower income backgrounds. •    Policies need to address multidimensional disadvantage. The findings have implications for addressing socioeconomic inequalities as well as for targeted career and vocational guidance. Background The Life Chances Study is a unique longitudinal study initiated by the Brotherhood of St Laurence in 1990 to explore the impacts of family income and associated factors on children over time. It commenced as a study of 167 infants born in inner Melbourne and has followed the families as they have moved elsewhere. In stage 10 of the study we surveyed 123 young people and their parents to see how they were dealing with the important transitions towards adulthood. We also undertook 25 interviews to explore their situations in more depth

Technology inspired design for pervasive healthcare

Pervasive healthcare technologies are increasingly using novel sensory devices that are able to measure phenomena that could not be measured before. To develop novel healthcare applications that use these largely untested technologies, it is important to have a design process that allows proper exploration of the capabilities of the novel technologies. We focus on the technology-inspired design process that was used in the development of a system to support posture and provide guidance by nudging people, and how this has lead us to explore pervasive healthcare applications

Optimal symptom management through evidence based assessment tools

Both CPRE and PCOC focus on excellence in care of Australian palliative patients and families

Fathering to meet the needs of children (2007)

"Information from Human Environmental Sciences Extension.""Human relations.""This publication was originally written by Denise E. Taylor and Janet A. Clark, Human Development and Family Studies Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. Kim Leon, state specialist in Human Development and Family Studies, reviewed and revised this edition."New 4/00; Revised 4/07/Web

Short-Interval Cortical Inhibition and Intracortical Facilitation during Submaximal Voluntary Contractions Changes with Fatigue

This study determined whether short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) change during a sustained submaximal isometric contraction. On 2 days, 12 participants (6 men, 6 women) performed brief (7-s) elbow flexor contractions before and after a 10-min fatiguing contraction; all contractions were performed at the level of integrated electromyographic activity (EMG) which produced 25 % maximal unfatigued torque. During the brief 7-s and 10-min submaximal contractions, single (test) and paired (conditioning–test) transcranial magnetic stimuli were applied over the motor cortex (5 s apart) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in biceps brachii. SICI and ICF were elicited on separate days, with a conditioning–test interstimulus interval of 2.5 and 15 ms, respectively. On both days, integrated EMG remained constant while torque fell during the sustained contraction by ~51.5 % from control contractions, perceived effort increased threefold, and MVC declined by 21–22 %. For SICI, the conditioned MEP during control contractions (74.1 ± 2.5 % of unconditioned MEP) increased (less inhibition) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 86.0 ± 5.1 %; P \u3c 0.05). It remained elevated in recovery contractions at 2 min (82.0 ± 3.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and returned toward control at 7-min recovery (76.3 ± 3.2 %). ICF during control contractions (conditioned MEP 129.7 ± 4.8 % of unconditioned MEP) decreased (less facilitation) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 107.6 ± 6.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and recovered to 122.8 ± 4.3 % during contractions after 2 min of recovery. Both intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory circuits become less excitable with fatigue when assessed during voluntary activity, but their different time courses of recovery suggest different mechanisms for the fatigue-related changes of SICI and ICF

Voluntary activation of muscle in humans: Does serotonergic neuromodulation matter?

Ionotropic inputs to motoneurones have the capacity to depolarise and hyperpolarise the motoneurone, whereas neuromodulatory inputs control the state of excitability of the motoneurone. Intracellular recordings of motoneurones from in vitro and in situ animal preparations have provided extraordinary insight into the mechanisms that underpin how neuromodulators regulate neuronal excitability. However, far fewer studies have attempted to translate the findings from cellular and molecular studies into a human model. In this review, we focus on the role that serotonin (5-HT) plays in muscle activation in humans. 5-HT is a potent regulator of neuronal firing rates, which can influence the force that can be generated by muscles during voluntary contractions. We firstly outline structural and functional characteristics of the serotonergic system, and then describe how motoneurone discharge can be facilitated and suppressed depending on the 5-HT receptor subtype that is activated. We then provide a narrative on how 5-HT effects can influence voluntary activation during muscle contractions in humans, and detail how 5-HT may be a mediator of exercise-induced fatigue that arises from the central nervous system. (Figure presented.)

Rx for Success at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge: Take Two Committed Partners-Add Water

As part of a major effort to improve habitats for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. is contributing $187,500 in matching funds to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rehabilitate wetland impoundments at Back Bay NWR. The three-year project will increase Refuge management capabilities on existing wetland areas, create 300 acres of new marsh habitat and increase water management flexibility throughout the impoundment system. Components of the project include: Raising and re-sloping 8 miles of existing dikes Installing 13 new water control structures Constructing 6,000 feet of new dikes Creating two storage pools totalling 53 acres and Excavating 8 miles of water transport ditches. Surplus water will be made available to adjacent False Cape State Park/Barbours Hill Wildlife Management Area for the enhancement of 137 acres of waterfowl habitat. Benefits of the project will extend not only to migratory birds, but also the freshwater fish, amphibians, aquatic mammals, invertebrates and reptiles. Improved conditions for wildlife will also improve observation and educational opportunities for Refuge visitors. The project supports the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international strategy for the recovery of declining waterfowl populations