Child support reform: some analysis of the 1999 White Paper

This paper uses a sample of lone mothers (and former lone mothers who are now repartnered) drawn from the 1997 Family Resources Survey to analyse the potential effects of reforming the UK system of child support. The main deficiency of the data is that non-resident fathers cannot be matched to the mothers in the data, and this is overcome by exploiting information from another dataset which gives the joint distribution of the characteristics of separated parents. The effects of reforming the child support system are simulated for the amount of maintenance liabilities, the amount paid and the net incomes of households containing mothers-with-care and of households containing non-resident fathers. The likely effects of the reform are simulated at various levels of compliance. The analysis highlights the need for further research into the incentive effects of child support on individual behaviour.

Child Support Reform : Some Analysis of the 1999 White Paper

This paper uses a sample of lone mothers (and former lone mothers who are now repartnered) drawn from the 1997 Family Resources Survey to analyze the potential effects of reforming the UK system of Child Support. The main deficiency of the data is that non-resident fathers cannot be matched to the mothers in the data and this is overcome by exploiting information from another dataset which gives the joint distribution of the characteristics of separated parents. The effects of reforming the Child Support system is simulated for the amount of maintenance liabilities, the amount paid and the net incomes of households containing mothers with care and households containing non-resident fathers. The likely effects of the reform are simulated at various levels of compliance. The analysis highlights the need for further research into the incentive effects of Child Support on individual behaviorchild support ; compliance ; poverty

<i>Aloe succotrina</i> (Asphodelaceae)

Aloe succotrina has a very long and complex taxonomic and nomenclatural history with wrong synonymy that is rivalled by few other aloes. This is mostly due to early authors wrongly assuming that this plant is from the Island of Socotra (Reynolds 1950). It has been in cultivation in Europe for over three hundred years, so consequently it is rather surprising that this iconic fynbos species has not featured in this journal until now

Future Selves: Career choices of young disabled people

There is growing recognition that gaining the views of young people is crucial for understanding issues that affect their lives. However, to date, very little is known about the way in which disabled children, make sense of their identities, and create a sense of their past and their imagined futures over time. This three year study, funded by the European Social Fund, and conducted by Dr Sonali Shah and colleagues at the University of Nottingham, used various methods to explore how physically disabled students, in full-time special or mainstream education, make choices concerning their occupational futures. It identified the factors that shape their educational and career related choices and chances, and explored how social relations, social processes, and social policies influenced the extent to which their aspirations were achieved. This study presents disabled children and young people as critical social actors who are telling their own stories of how social structures and processes shape their choices and aspirations for their future selves. It illustrates the importance of consulting children and young people about issues concerning their lives, and not rely solely on adults’ conceptions of childhood. The young disabled people’s experiences and views can be used to develop a new flexible system which offers the benefits of mainstream and special education, and facilitates young disabled people’s self-determination to make choices to participate in and contribute to their independent futures

BDSM. A search for the container-contained experience: An object-relations approach to the problem of masochism

Freud took two decades to fit pleasure in pain (masochism) into his instinct theory. In his endeavours to do so, he developed several models of masochism that were dependent on instinct vicissitudes and their governing principles. Freud took a marked turn towards a quasi-object-relating theory when he recognised the existence of unconscious beating phantasies, and the existence of an intrapsychic agency with punitive characteristics. Despite his move towards an object-relations theory, Freud always returned to the same place - the economic properties of the instincts - even when these directly concerned the Oedipus complex. An empirical investigation into the practices and experiences of consensual Bondage Domination and Sado-Masochism (BDSM) suggests that an object relating model offers a viable alternative for explaining pleasure in pain. From a preliminary investigation into the views and impressions of ‘the Leather Family’- two female dominants and their shared submissive wife, a number of speculative themes emerged. One theme suggested that the submissive role in BDSM is an enactment of a primitive form of containment as described by Bion’s model of maternal-infant communication. To investigate the hypothesis that the masochism of BDSM could be better described in object relations terms, a research study was designed. Bion’s container-contained model was operationalised to create an assessment tool. BDSM-derived data was collected, and the assessment tool applied as an analytic device. The characteristics of the Dominant-submissive interaction show a correlative relationship with the characteristic features of the container-contained relationship. The masochism of BDSM can be seen to provide a transition from Freu

Exploring the Potential of Social Media Platforms as Data Collection Methods for Accessing and Understanding Experiences of Youth with Disabilities: A Narrative Review

Purpose: Social media (SM) is a critical component of youth culture, and may provide a useful platform for exploring young people’s authentic voices. This narrative review considers how researchers are exploring the experiences of youth with disabilities using SM.  Methods: Five health and social science databases were searched using terms related to ‘social media’ and ‘data collection’. Articles were reviewed for relevancy. Narrative analysis was undertaken.Results: Searches returned 1524 results, of which 15 articles were included. SM-based data collection methods fell into three categories: 1) observational; 2) interactive; and 3) combined online/offline, each offering unique advantages to data collection. Literature suggests that SM can be used to effectively explore self-care, coping and social experiences of youth with health conditions, however youth with disabilities were notably absent from all three categories.Conclusion: As a prominent component of youth culture, researchers have turned to SM-based data collection methods to understand youths’ real-world experiences. It is imperative, however, that the voices of youth with varied abilities and backgrounds be included in the conversation.

Caputia tomentosa

Caputia, a genus belonging to the daisy family, the Asteraceae, consists of just five species of succulents confined to South Africa and Swaziland. Caputia tomentosa (formerly Kleinia tomentosa or Senecio haworthii) is unique in the genus in having dense silvery-white persistent tomentum and disciform capitula (inflorescences). Its very long and complex taxonomic and nomenclatural history are outlined. Its habitat, natural distribution, ecology and cultivation are discussed, accompanied by a full description and specially commissioned reproduction of a watercolour painting

Teachers' and children's personal epistemologies for moral education: Case studies in early years elementary education

While there is strong interest in teaching values in Australia and internationally there is little focus on young children’s moral values learning in the classroom. Research shows that personal epistemology influences teaching and learning in a range of education contexts, including moral education. This study examines relationships between personal epistemologies (children’s and teachers’), pedagogies, and school contexts for moral learning in two early years classrooms. Interviews with teachers and children and analysis of school policy revealed clear patterns of personal epistemologies and pedagogies within each school. A whole school approach to understanding personal epistemologies and practice for moral values learning is suggested

Propagation of errors from a null balance terahertz reflectometer to a sample's relative water content

The THz water content index of a sample is defined and advantages in using such metric in estimating a sample's relative water content are discussed. The errors from reflectance measurements performed at two different THz frequencies using a quasi-optical null-balance reflectometer are propagated to the errors in estimating the sample water content index