Assisted conception: fertility preservation, surrogate motherhood, gamete / embryo donation, and in vitro fertilization

Chapter 15. , pp 237-250. In: International Handbook of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health. Eds Jane Ussher, Joan Chrisler and Janette Perz. Routledge. NY, USA

Reproductive health matters

You do not need to be a psychologist to know that reproductive health plays an important role in society and that individual psychological, behavioural and social factors affect reproductive health and vice versa. What you may not know is that psychological research has shown that health education, willpower, planning and the opportunity to exercise health behaviours such as moderate alcohol and caffeine consumption, not smoking or taking drugs and maintaining a balanced diet, can lead to a healthy reproductive lifestyle, much like it affects general health. Health behaviours can also free people from unnecessary and preventable damage (e.g. unsafe abortions) or disease (e.g. sexually transmitted infections); from the potential psychological consequences of these (depression, guilt, stigma); contribute to early detection and treatment (e.g. breast or testicular cancer); and reduced time off work and utilization of the health care system (van den Akker, 2012). Clearly, reproductive health matters

Psychological and ethical issues in third party assisted conception and surrogate motherhood

The continuing increase in babies born via third party assisted conception (AC) and surrogate motherhood across the world shows the success of and medical and social demand for third party interventions in family building. However, with the increasing use of such interventions world-wide, commercialisation and commodification have proliferated. This in turn has led to inequality in access to AC services, in choice of third party input, and in questionable human rights and psychosocial welfare issues. Transitioning to parenthood using third party AC and surrogate motherhood, in addition to requiring equality in access, also demand accuracy of birth and genetic information. In the absence of accurate record keeping, continuing practices of anonymity, and marginalization of the contribution of donors and surrogates, psychological, social, health and ethical questions are raised for donors, recipients and potentially for (genetic, gestational) part, half and full offspring, siblings and others in the extended family such as grandparents

Evaluation of the implementation of curriculum materials for civics in the Netherlands

Discusses a study evaluating the implementation of curriculum materials for civics in the Netherlands. Pedagogical principles aimed at increasing students' social commitment; Central research question; Exploration of broad context for implementation; Actual use of teaching packages by teachers

The use of innovation and practice profiles in the evaluation of curriculum implementation

Most generic curriculum reform efforts have to deal with a gap between the innovative aspirations of the initial designers and the daily reality of the intended audience of teachers. That tension is not alarming in itself. One might even say that without it no compelling reason for starting development work would exist. Unfortunately, many evaluation studies on the implementation and impact of curriculum development projects show that this discrepancy does not decrease over time. Apparently, not much improvement is made in detecting and reducing potential implementation problems.\ud This article presents some conceptual and instrumental guidelines for dealing with these problems, focusing on the use of `profiles¿ during evaluation of curriculum materials.\ud The paper starts with an introduction on the functions of exemplary curriculum materials and their possible representations, on the long road from original designers¿ ideas to effects of student learning. Next, we will explain the concepts of innovation and practice profiles. We will then provide guidelines for the development and use of such profiles, based on previous research experiences, and illustrated with some specific examples. Finally, we will reflect on the advantages and limitations of working with profiles

Quantification of C and N stocks in grassland topsoils in a Dutch region dominated by dairy farming

Estimates on soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) stocks in soils cannot be directly calculated from routine soil analyses, since these often lack measurements on soil bulk density (Bd). Hence, flexible pedotransfer functions are required that allow the calculation of SOC stocks from gravimetrically determined SOC contents. The present paper aimed to: (1) quantify SOC and N stocks in grassland topsoils for a Northern Dutch region dominated by dairy farming and (2) analyse the relationships between SOC and bulk density at the field level. As estimates of SOC and N stocks are potentially affected by soil compaction, the combined measurements on soil bulk density and soil organic matter (SOM) were also evaluated with respect to critical limits for soil compaction using soil density (Sd) for sandy soils and packing density (Pd) for clay soils. The SOC and Bd measurements were done in the upper 0·1–0·2 m of grasslands at 18 dairy farms, distributed across sandy, clay and peat soils. Both farm data and grassland management data were collected. Non-linear regressions were used to analyse relationships between Bd and SOM. Significant non-linear relationships were found between gravimetric SOC contents and bulk density for the 0–0·1 m layer (R2=0·80) and the 0·1–0·2 m layer (R2=0·86). None of the fields on sandy soils or clay soils indicated signs for limited rooting in the topsoil although some fields appear to approach the critical limit for compaction for the 0·1–0·2 m layer. Stocks of SOC in the top 0·2 m at farm level were highest in the peat soils (21·7 kg/m2) and lowest in the sandy soils (9·0 kg/m2). Similarly, N stocks were highest for farms on peat soil (1·30 kg/m2) and lowest for farms on sandy soil (0·60 kg/m2). For the sandy soils, the mean SOC stock was significantly higher in fields with shallow groundwater tables

The integration of computer use in education

There is an increasing awareness that disappointing experiences with the introduction of computers in education are a consequence of insufficiently taking into account factors that are crucial when introducing change in educational settings. Many of the problems in the literature show great similarity with the kind of problems often experienced in curriculum implementation. In this context the endeavors to make computer use an integrated part of classroom activities are analyzed. Emphasis will be laid on the interaction between teachers and courseware; elements for a more effective strategy for the integration of computer use in educational practice will be presented, with special attention to the design of support materials as an essential part of courseware

Optimal Distributed Power Generation Under Network-Load Constraints

In electrical power networks nowadays more and more customers are becoming power-producers, mainly because of the development of novel components for decentralized power generation (solar panels, small wind turbines and heat pumps). This gives rise to the question how many units of each type (solar panel, small wind turbine or central heating power units) can be inserted into any transmission line in the network, such that under given distributions on the typical production and consumption over time, the maximum loads on the lines and components will not be exceeded. In this paper, we present a linear programming model for maximizing the amount of decentralized power generation while respecting the load limitations of the network. We describe a prototype showing that for an example network the maximization problem can be solved efficiently. We also modeled the case were the power consumption and decentralized power generation are considered as stochastic variables, which is inherently more complex

Science Teacher Learning of MBL-Supported Student-Centered Science Education in the Context of Secondary Education in Tanzania

Science teachers from secondary schools in Tanzania were offered an in-service arrangement to prepare them for the integration of technology in a student-centered approach to science teaching. The in-service arrangement consisted of workshops in which educative curriculum materials were used to prepare teachers for student-centered education and for the use and application of Microcomputer Based Laboratories (MBL)—a specific technology application for facilitating experiments in science education. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to study whether the in-service arrangement impacted teacher learning. Teacher learning was determined by three indicators: (1) the ability to conduct MBL-supported student centered science lessons, (2) teachers’ reflection on those lessons and (3) students’ perceptions of the classroom environment. The results of the research indicate that the teachers’ were able to integrate MBL in their science lessons at an acceptable level and that they were able to create a classroom environment which was appreciated by their students as more investigative and open-ended