Ethnic Identification, Intermarriage, and Unmeasured Progress by Mexican Americans

Using Census and CPS data, we show that U.S.-born Mexican Americans who marry non- Mexicans are substantially more educated and English proficient, on average, than are Mexican Americans who marry co-ethnics (whether they be Mexican Americans or Mexican immigrants). In addition, the non-Mexican spouses of intermarried Mexican Americans possess relatively high levels of schooling and English proficiency, compared to the spouses of endogamously married Mexican Americans. The human capital selectivity of Mexican intermarriage generates corresponding differences in the employment and earnings of Mexican Americans and their spouses. Moreover, the children of intermarried Mexican Americans are much less likely to be identified as Mexican than are the children of endogamous Mexican marriages. These forces combine to produce strong negative correlations between the education, English proficiency, employment, and earnings of Mexican-American parents and the chances that their children retain a Mexican ethnicity. Such findings raise the possibility that selective ethnic “attrition” might bias observed measures of intergenerational progress for Mexican Americans

Immigration and the U.S. labour market

Over the last several decades, two of the most significant developments in the U.S. labor market have been: (1) rising inequality, and (2) growth in both the size and the diversity of immigration flows. Because a large share of new immigrants arrive with very low levels of schooling, English proficiency, and other skills that have become increasingly important determinants of success in the U.S. labor market, an obvious concern is that such immigrants are a poor fit for the restructured American economy. In this chapter, we evaluate this concern by discussing evidence for the United States on two relevant topics: the labor market integration of immigrants, and the impact of immigration on the wages and employment opportunities of native workers. In these dimensions, the overall labor market performance of U.S. immigrants seems quite favorable. U.S. immigrants have little trouble finding jobs, and this is particularly true of unskilled immigrants. Most U.S. immigrants experience substantial earnings growth as they adapt to the American labor market. For most immigrant groups, the U.S.-born second generation has achieved socioeconomic parity with mainstream society; for some Hispanic groups, however, this is not the case. On the whole, immigration to the United States has not had large adverse consequences for the labor market opportunities of native workers. Therefore, with regard to the economic integration and labor market impacts of immigration, it is not obvious that the seemingly haphazard nature of U.S. immigration policy has led to unfavorable outcomes

Assimilation via prices or quantities? Sources of immigrant earnings growth in Australia, Canada and the United States

Using 1980/81 and 1990/91 census data from Australia, Canada, and the United States, we estimate the effects of time in the destination country on male immigrants’ wages, employment, and earnings. We find that total earnings assimilation is greatest in the United States and least in Australia. Employment assimilation explains all of the earnings progress experienced by Australian immigrants, whereas wage assimilation plays the dominant role in the United States, and Canada falls in-between. We argue that relatively inflexible wages and generous unemployment insurance in countries like Australia may cause assimilation to occur along the “quantity” rather than the price dimension

How Do Immigrants Spend Their Time? The Process of Assimilation

Using 2004-2008 data from the American Time Use Survey, we show that sharp differences between the time use of immigrants and natives become noticeable when activities are distinguished by incidence and intensity. We develop a theory of the process of assimilation – what immigrants do with their time – based on the notion that assimilating activities entail fixed costs. The theory predicts that immigrants will be less likely than natives to undertake such activities, but conditional on undertaking them, immigrants will spend more time on them than natives. We identify several activities – purchasing, education and market work – requiring the most interaction with the native world, and these activities more than others fit the theoretical predictions. Additional tests suggest that the costs of assimilating derive from the costs of learning English and from some immigrants’ unfamiliarity with a high-income market economy. A replication using the 1992 Australian Time Use Survey yields remarkably similar results.time use, fixed costs, incidence, intensity

Group B streptococcal infection and activation of human astrocytes.

BACKGROUND:Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is the leading cause of life-threatening meningitis in human newborns in industrialized countries. Meningitis results from neonatal infection that occurs when GBS leaves the bloodstream (bacteremia), crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and enters the central nervous system (CNS), where the bacteria contact the meninges. Although GBS is known to invade the BBB, subsequent interaction with astrocytes that physically associate with brain endothelium has not been well studied. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We hypothesize that human astrocytes play a unique role in GBS infection and contribute to the development of meningitis. To address this, we used a well- characterized human fetal astrocyte cell line, SVG-A, and examined GBS infection in vitro. We observed that all GBS strains of representative clinically dominant serotypes (Ia, Ib, III, and V) were able to adhere to and invade astrocytes. Cellular invasion was dependent on host actin cytoskeleton rearrangements, and was specific to GBS as Streptococcus gordonii failed to enter astrocytes. Analysis of isogenic mutant GBS strains deficient in various cell surface organelles showed that anchored LTA, serine-rich repeat protein (Srr1) and fibronectin binding (SfbA) proteins all contribute to host cell internalization. Wild-type GBS also displayed an ability to persist and survive within an intracellular compartment for at least 12 h following invasion. Moreover, GBS infection resulted in increased astrocyte transcription of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and VEGF. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:This study has further characterized the interaction of GBS with human astrocytes, and has identified the importance of specific virulence factors in these interactions. Understanding the role of astrocytes during GBS infection will provide important information regarding BBB disruption and the development of neonatal meningitis

Estancia corta : una oportunidad para identificar, desarrollar y evaluar el nivel de desarrollo de algunas competencias en alumnos de Ingeniería Química

En este trabajo con carácter exploratorio, se presenta la identificación de algunas competencias desarrolladas que manifiestan estudiantes de la carrera de Ingeniería Química I. Q. ) en la solución de un problema nuevo sobre agua contaminada durante una Estancia Corta en el Laboratorio de Ingeniería Química. No se pretende generalizar las competencias identificadas para la carrera de IQ de esta Facultad sino el abrir un espacio participativo (académicos, industriales, exalumnos) para la reflexión y mejora del proceso de enseñaza – aprendizaje de la I Q. Ante la incertidumbre provocada por los cambios globales y las demandas sobre calidad, eficiencia y eficacia de la educación provocan que de manera permanente el sector Educativo, rediseñan los planes de estudio, reorientan los modelos educativos y redefinan el perfil de egreso

How Do Immigrants Spend Time?: The Process of Assimilation

Using 2004-2008 data from the American Time Use Survey, we show that sharp differences between the time use of immigrants and natives become noticeable when activities are distinguished by incidence and intensity. We develop a theory of the process of assimilation—what immigrants do with their time—based on the notion that assimilating activities entail fixed costs. The theory predicts that immigrants will be less likely than natives to undertake such activities, but conditional on undertaking them, immigrants will spend more time on them than natives. We identify several activities—purchasing, education and market work—as requiring the most interaction with the native world, and these activities more than others fit the theoretical predictions. Additional tests suggest that the costs of assimilating derive from the costs of learning English and from some immigrants’ unfamiliarity with a high-income market economy. A replication using the 1992 Australian Time Use Survey yields remarkably similar results.

La educación no formal de alumnos de primaria mediante la teoría de las situaciones didácticas : el caso del ludión

La teoría de situaciones didácticas de Guy Brousseau que se desarrolló en el área de las matemáticas ahora se está aplicando a todas las ciencias experimentales. Se presenta aquí su adaptación al programa de educación no formal «Niñ@s Talento» para alumnos de nivel primaria al emplear el experimento del ludión o buzo cartesiano. Una ventaja de esta teoría es que no exige llegar a los conocimientos científicos escolares (fase de institucionalización) para explicar diversos experimentos realizados. De esta manera los alumnos que participaron en esta actividad lúdica disfrutan realmente las situaciones didácticas y generan conocimiento que les permite explicar lo observado, a su nivel de conocimiento

Validez de una Competencia Docente con Enfoque Inclusivo en el Ámbito Universitario

El presente artículo muestra resultados preliminares de una investigación más amplia de la Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, relacionada con seis competencias docentes que permite al catedrático universitario dar una respuesta oportuna al proceso de inclusión educativa, se desarrolló la validez del modelo de competencias docentes basadas en “Coordina la interacción pedagógica inclusiva“ y “Gestiona la progresión de los aprendizajes“ pertenecientes a una investigación más amplia de 10 competencias. Se validó el modelo propuesto por medio de la metodología Delphi, con la medición de univocidad, y pertinencia; se consolido a través del Análisis Factorial Exploratorio y Confirmatorio. La competencia tiene como propósito una docencia basada en situaciones reales que implica las formas de interacción incluyente con base a una relación educativa sustentada en la comunicación horizontal y generación de ambientes de aprendizajes con el fin de promover redes de colaboración. En el primer proceso se obtiene más de .90 en cada valor presentado en univocidad y pertinencia; bajo el Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio se agrupan en una sola competencia con los indicadores que muestra el referencial óptimo (GFI .849) y superior al valor (RMSEA .083) con las medidas de ajuste incremental y de parsimonia, superior al modelo independiente, en conclusión, es válida y confiable para el apoyo de la intervención universitaria en poblaciones con discapacidad. This paper focuses on the initial results of a broader Autonomous University of Chihuahua research, which is related to six teaching competencies that allow the university professor to provide timely response to the process of educational inclusion. It was developed with the validity of the educational competencies model based on “Coordinating the inclusive educational interaction” and “Managing the improvement in learning” which belongs to a broader research of 10 competencies. The model was proposed through Delphi methodology and validated through nonduality measuring and relevance. It was consolidated through Exploratory Factorial and Validating Analysis. The competency has a purpose of teaching based on real situations that involves the ways of inclusive interaction. This is done on the basis of an educational relationship that is backed up in horizontal communication and generation of learning environments in order to promote collaboration networks. In the first process, more than 0.90 was obtained in each submitted value for nonduality and relevance. Under the Validating Factorial Analysis, they were grouped together under one competency. The indicators, thus, showed the optimal referencial (GFI 0.849) and the value (RMSEA 0.083) through the measurements of incremental and parsimony adjustment, which is above the independent model. This means that it is valid and reliable for supporting university intervention in disabled populations