"Time Use of Mothers and Fathers in Hard Times and Better Times: The US Business Cycle of 2003-10"

The US economic crisis and recession of 2007-09 accelerated the convergence of women's and men's employment rates as men experienced disproportionate job losses and women's entry into the labor force gathered pace. Using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data for 2003-10, this study examines whether the narrowing gap in paid work over this period was mirrored in unpaid work, personal care, and leisure time. We find that the gender gap in unpaid work followed a U-pattern, narrowing during the recession but widening afterward. Through segregation analysis, we trace this U-pattern to the slow erosion of gender segregation in housework and, through a standard decomposition analysis of time use by employment status, show that this pattern was mainly driven by movement toward gender-equitable unpaid hours of women and men with the same employment status. In addition, gender inequality in leisure time increased over the business cycle.Economics of Gender; Unemployment; Time Use; Economic Crises

The effect of a comprehensive corrective exercise program on kyphosis angle and balance in kyphotic adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a comprehensive corrective exercise program on the kyphosis angle and balance in kyphotic adolescents. A total of 62 male adolescents (between the ages of 10 and 18, mean BMI 21.7 kg/m(2)) with a thoracic kyphosis (TK) angle of >= 50 degrees were divided into three groups using the simple randomization method: CCEP (comprehensive corrective exercise program), TEP (thoracic exercise program) and control group. The CCEP program consisted of corrective exercises plus postural perception training (PPT). Exercise programs were applied for 40-50 min, 3 days a week for 12 weeks. The kyphosis angle was measured using a flexible ruler, and balance was assessed using the Romberg index obtained from pedobarography. After training, a highly significant reduction in the kyphosis angle was observed in the CCEP and TEP groups (p 0.05). The use of postural perception in combination with corrective exercise programs for thoracic kyphosis represents a comprehensive approach, and PPT can increase the effectiveness of the intervention

International trade and wage discrimination : evidence from East Asia

This study explores the impact of competition from international trade on wage discrimination by sex in two highly open economies. If discrimination is costly, as posited in neoclassical theory based on Becker (1959), then increased industry competitiveness from international trade reduces the incentive for employers to discriminate against women. Alternatively, increased international trade may contribute to employment segregation and reduced bargaining power for women to achieve wage gains. The approach centers on comparing the impact of international trade on wage discrimination in concentrated and nonconcentrated sectors. The effect of international trade competition is expected to be more pronounced in concentrated sectors, where employers can use excess profits in the absence of trade to cover the costs of discrimination. Wage discrimination is proxied by the portion of the wage gap that cannot be explained by observable skill differences between men and women. The empirical model is estimated using a rich panel data set of residual wage gaps, trade ratios, and alternative measures of domestic concentration for Taiwan (China) and the Republic of Korea during the 1980s and 1990s. Results indicate that in contrast to the implications of neoclassical theory, competition from foreign trade in concentrated industries is positively associated with wage discrimination. These results imply that concerted efforts to enforce equal pay legislation and apply effective equal opportunity legislation are crucial for ensuring that women's pay gains will match those of men in a competitive environment.Economic Theory&Research,Water and Industry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Water and Industry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT

The role of various social support variables on Turkish children's anxiety level

This study investigated the role of various social support variables on the state and trait anxiety levels of elementary school children. The subjects were 196 4th and 5th graders. The data were collected by the Social Support Form, State Anxiety Inventory, and Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results revealed a significant effect of living together with parents on state and trait anxiety levels: Furthermore, a positive correlation between state anxiety and love and affection for the teacher was explored. No significant difference on the state and trait anxiety levels of children was another finding of the study. The effects of the nature and continuity of home and school environments on the anxiety levels of children were discussed in relation to these variables.peer-reviewe

Drug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis in new and previously treated cases: Experience from Turkey

SummaryThe emergence of drug resistance is a major problem for tuberculosis (TB) control. The aim of this study was to determine the rates of resistance against TB drugs in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Data from 387 patients with active PTB between the years of 1999 and 2004 from the Research and Education Hospital for Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were categorized as new, re-treatment, extrapulmonary and chronic cases. The study group consisted of 268 (69%) new, 57 (14.7%) re-treatment, 49 (12.6%) extrapulmonary and 13 (3.3%) chronic TB cases. The rates of resistance to isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (R), ethambutol (E) and streptomycin (S) were calculated separately for each group. The resistance to any of the drugs was 7.8% in the new cases, 58.5% in the re-treatment cases and 100% in the chronic cases. The multidrug-resistance (MDR)-TB rates were found to be 2.16%, 11.3% and 92.3% among the new, re-treatment and chronic cases, respectively. These data are important as they reflect the drug resistance rates during the pre-notification time period in western Turkey

Protein engineering and covalent modification of trichoderma reesei cellulases in pichia pastoris for textile biofinishing

Cellulase enzymes have been extensively used for the biopolishing of cellulosic fabrics but they are inefficient to prevent pilling in viscose fabrics. Moreover, their application causes a loss in the fabric strength due to the aggressive action of the enzymes. One solution to this problem is the design and production of enzymes with increased molecular weights so that aggressive action of the cellulases would be limited to the fabric surface. In the framework of this study, cellulases and cellulase formulations that can ameliorate the problem of pilling and prevent loss of tensile strength in viscose fabrics were designed and produced . For this purpose, both protein engineering and chemical modification methods were used seperately and in combination to obtain cellulases with desired properties. Trichoderma reesei Endoglucanase I (EGI), Endoglucanase III (EGIII), Cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) enzymes were successfully cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris under the control of AOX1 promoter to mg/L quantities. A loop mutant of EGI, (EGI_L5) was prepared by introduction of a ten aminoacid long loop by molecular modelling and site directed mutagenesis for the creation of hotspots for directed crosslinking of the enzyme. The mutant enzyme was crosslinked using crosslinked enzyme aggregate (CLEA) technology. The effect of codon optimization on EGI production was analyzed. A mutant of EGI was prepared by inserting a second catalytic domain to EGI and thereby forming a bicatalytic mutant of EGI (EGI_BC) with increased molecular weight. All of the recombinant enzymes were produced in a laboratory scale fermenter and characterized. A commercial cellulase preparation was crosslinked using CLEA technology and fractionated according to the particle size. The effects of native, engineered and chemically modified cellulases on viscose fabrics were evaluated. It was found that commercial cellulase preparation crosslinked using CLEA technology, recombinant EGI and EGI_L5 produced in P. pastoris improved the pilling values of viscose fabrics by 20 % without much loss in the strength of the fabrics

Covalent modification of enzymes for textile processes

Wide range of application of enzymes allowed their use in many textile processes such as biopolishing, desizing and bleaching. Cellulase enzymes have been used for the biopolishing of cellulosic fibers and fabrics. In this work the focus was on two seperate applications of modified enzymes in textile processing, one is to retain strength of viscos during pilling process and the second is to combine desizing and the bleaching processes of the fabric. Cellulases are used to prevent pilling on the surface of the viscose fabric but they couse a loss in the tensile strength of the viscose fabric. Commercial celluloses were crosslinked using different parameters in an attempt to ameliorate the loss of tensile strength and to improve enzyme properties. Native and modified enzymes were characterized and their activities against CMC and their effects on the properties of viscose (such as pilling, bursting strength) fabric were determined. Effects of mechanical agitation and surfactants were examined. Crosslinking of cellulase was found to prevent the loss of strength due to the fact that larger enzyme complexes formed by crosslinking were minly resticted to the fabric surface. Enzymes are replacing the use of harsh chemicals in many of the textile processes such as desizind and bleaching and immobilizations of these enzymes on solid supports allow their recycling. Enzymatically produced peroxide is used for bleaching of the cotton fabrics. Commercial Glucosse oxidase (GOx) enzyme was immobilized on different supports such as alumina, silica, Sepharose 4B and crosslinked enzyme aggragates of GOx were prepared. Their efficiencies against glucose substrate for the production of peroxide were analyzed. Moreover, the starch size of the cotton fabric is hydrolized into glucose by the action of amyloglucosidase and this liquor was also used to produce peroxide. The activities of immobilized enzymes and CLEAs against desizing liquor and the whiteness values of the cotton fabrics after bleaching were examined. The whiteness values reached with immobilized enzyme are not appropriate for white textile but is sufficient for further dyeing processe. Combination of desizing and bleaching in a single bath and recycling of the immobilized enzyme is an environmently friendly alternative

Avulsiyon tedavisinde güncel yaklaşımlar

Avulsion is the partially or completely taking out of the tooth from the dental socket; and replantation is replacing the teeth which have been partially or completely avulsed by trauma. Because of the fact that avulsion is such a rare occurrence, dentists are in need of reading the guidelines and getting the posted information on dental association web sites. But unfortunately, even recent guidelines do not address the question of whether it is in the patient’s best interests to replant a tooth. In addition to this, it is important that the merits and shortcomings of clinical guidelines should be understood clearly before they are used to make clinical decisions. In this article, guidelines for management of avulsed teeth are reviewed primarily based on the current literature. ÖZET Travmatik yaralanma sonrası dişin alveoler soketten tamamen çıkmasına avulsiyon, travma sonucu parsiyel veya total olarak alveoler soketten çıkmış olan dişin veya dişlerin tekrar yerine yerleştirilmesine replantasyon adı verilmektedir. Avulsiyon, sık görülen bir olay olmadığından diş hekimi böyle bir durumla karşılaştığında öncelikle bu konuyla ilgili yayınları okumak veya internetten bilgi almak ihtiyacı hissetmektedir. Fakat ne yazık ki son yıllarda yayınlanmış yayınlar bile hastaların hekime diş replantasyonu ile ilgili sorabileceği soruların yanıtlarını tam olarak içermemektedir. Bununla birlikte klinik tedavi prensiplerinin önemi ve kusurları klinik olarak kullanımlarından önce iyice anlaşılmalıdır. Bu makalede, avulsiyon tedavisinde uygulanması önerilen yöntemler güncel literatür ışığında derlenmiştir. Anahtar kelimeler: Dental avulsiyon, replantasyon, dental travma

HIF-3α1 promotes colorectal tumor cell growth by activation of JAK-STAT3 signaling

Hypoxic environment is critical in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Most studies have mainly focused on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and HIF-2α as the major hypoxic transcription factors in CRC development and progression. However, the role of HIF-3α in CRC is not clear. Here we found that HIF-3α protein was increased in colorectal tumors from both mouse models and human patients. Moreover, increased HIF-3α expression was correlated with decreased survival. Overexpression of a long isoform of HIF-3α, HIF-3α1, increased cell growth in two CRC cell lines. Surprisingly, overexpressed HIF-3α1 was localized to the cytosol and increased phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3). STAT3 inhibition effectively reduced p-STAT3 levels and cell growth induced by HIF-3α1. The activation of p-STAT3 was independent of the transcriptional activity of HIF-3α1. However, the inhibition of the upstream regulator Janus kinase (JAK) abolished HIF-3α1-induced p-STAT3 and cell growth. Together, these results demonstrated that HIF-3α1 promotes CRC cell growth by activation of the JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway through non-canonical transcription-independent mechanisms