Access to Child Care in North Carolina: The Interaction of Gender Relations, Class, and Government Policy Across Places and Scales.

Access to child care is becoming an increasingly critical economic and social issue for American families as more and more women work outside the home. In addition to being an important economic and social issue, access to child care is also a significant geographical issue, in two senses. First, place is an important component of child care access; substantial spatial variations exist in child care services in the United States. Secondly, attention to issues of scale is important when examining child care issues since access to child care is shaped by both local and non-local forces. I use both horizontal and vertical dimensions of inquiry in order to address the central question of this study: how do gender relations, labor market position (occupation and income), family structure (dual-parent versus single-parent), race, and governmental child care policies interact in particular locales to shape parents\u27 access to child care services? I use a comparative framework to examine the child care situations in three areas (Orange County, Burke County, and a consortium of western counties) of North Carolina that differ along social, economic, and geographical lines. I also consider child care access issues at multiple scales: the everyday household experiences of child care access, local contrasts in child care needs and resources, the effects on child care access of a state-led initiative ( Smart Start ) to improve child care services, and the broader context of federal legislation regarding child care. I use a triangulated methodological approach, combining both qualitative (e.g. interviewing) and quantitative methods (e.g. survey techniques) to analyze child care access. Results from my empirical work indicate the following. First, women shoulder the greater responsibility for arranging and managing child care. Secondly, child care is a crucial link between home and work and often shapes parents\u27 employment possibilities. Thirdly, child care is viewed by many employers as a private issue outside the realm of work. Fourthly, child care arrangement for many families are fragmented, complex, and precarious as a result of having to forge individual solutions with little help from employers or government

Real Time Predictive and Adaptive Hybrid Powertrain Control Development via Neuroevolution

The real-time application of powertrain-based predictive energy management (PrEM) brings the prospect of additional energy savings for hybrid powertrains. Torque split optimal control methodologies have been a focus in the automotive industry and academia for many years. Their real-time application in modern vehicles is, however, still lagging behind. While conventional exact and non-exact optimal control techniques such as Dynamic Programming and Model Predictive Control have been demonstrated, they suffer from the curse of dimensionality and quickly display limitations with high system complexity and highly stochastic environment operation. This paper demonstrates that Neuroevolution associated drive cycle classification algorithms can infer optimal control strategies for any system complexity and environment, hence streamlining and speeding up the control development process. Neuroevolution also circumvents the integration of low fidelity online plant models, further avoiding prohibitive embedded computing requirements and fidelity loss. This brings the prospect of optimal control to complex multi-physics system applications. The methodology presented here covers the development of the drive cycles used to train and validate the neurocontrollers and classifiers, as well as the application of the Neuroevolution process

Assessing the Readability and Usability of Online H-E-L-P Intervention for IPV Survivors

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the readability and usability of an online HELP (Health, Education, and Legal Program) intervention for women experiencing IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) by asking graduate nursing students to review in class nine online HELP intervention modules. Design: A descriptive online survey administered to 15 graduate nursing students\ud was used to assess the readability and usability of an online HELP intervention. Methods: Participants were asked to perform the following activities: 1) reading the nine HELP modules on PowerPoint as posted on Blackboard (a web-based course management program), 2) filling in five blank lines under each heading (HEALTH, EDUCATION, LEGAL, and PROGRAM), by writing words or terms on the line after each heading, 3) ranking the words within each heading (with #1 as the highest and #5 as the lowest), 4) engaging in a class discussion of the rationale for the ranking, 5) re-ranking, and 6) voting on the ranking. The results were compiled to yield a master rank and vote order for each heading between 12 (received 12 votes) and 15 (received 15 votes) of the words that were ranked #1. Results: The words that were ranked #1 under each heading and the number of votes received were: Under HEALTH: Depression (15), Anger (14), Anxiety (13), and Pain (12); EDUCATION: Safety (15), Injury (14), Social Support (13) and Parenting/Child Care (12); LEGAL: Protection from Abuse (15), Attorney (14), Court/Hearing (13), and Rights (12); PROGRAM: Internet (15), Online (14), Intervention (13) and Resources (12). Conclusions: HELP intervention is readable and usable however, HELP needs to be piloted to ensure that survivors of IPV participants can access and benefit from HELP intervention

A Nuclear DNA Perspective on Delineating Evolutionarily Significant Lineages in Polyploids: The Case of the Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

The shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, oft considered a phylogenetic relic, is listed as an “endangered species threatened with extinction” in the US and “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. Effective conservation of A. brevirostrum depends on understanding its diversity and evolutionary processes, yet challenges associated with the polyploid nature of its nuclear genome have heretofore limited population genetic analysis to maternally inherited haploid characters. We developed a suite of polysomic microsatellite DNA markers and characterized a sample of 561 shortnose sturgeon collected from major extant populations along the North American Atlantic coast. The 181 alleles observed at 11 loci were scored as binary loci and the data were subjected to multivariate ordination, Bayesian clustering, hierarchical partitioning of variance, and among-population distance metric tests. The methods uncovered moderately high levels of gene diversity suggesting population structuring across and within three metapopulations (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast) that encompass seven demographically discrete and evolutionarily distinct lineages. The predicted groups are consistent with previously described behavioral patterns, especially dispersal and migration, supporting the interpretation that A. brevirostrum exhibit adaptive differences based on watershed. Combined with results of prior genetic (mitochondrial DNA) and behavioral studies, the current work suggests that dispersal is an important factor in maintaining genetic diversity in A. brevirostrum and that the basic unit for conservation management is arguably the local population

Cell bank characterization and fermentation optimization for production of recombinant heavy chain C-terminal fragment of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (rBoNTE(H\u3csub\u3ec\u3c/sub\u3e): Antigen E) by \u3ci\u3ePichia pastoris\u3c/i\u3e

A process was developed for production of a candidate vaccine antigen, recombinant C-terminal heavy chain fragment of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype E, rBoNTE(Hc)in Pichia pastoris. P. pastoris strain GS115 was transformed with the rBoNTE(Hc) gene inserted into pHILD4 Escherichia coli—P. pastoris shuttle plasmid. The clone was characterized for genetic stability, copy number, and BoNTE(Hc) sequence. Expression of rBoNTE(Hc) from the Mut+ HIS4 clone was confirmed in the shake-flask, prior to developing a fed-batch fermentation process at 5 and 19 L scale. The fermentation process consists of a glycerol growth phase in batch and fed-batch mode using a defined medium followed by a glycerol/methanol transition phase for adaptation to growth on methanol and a methanol induction phase resulting in the production of rBoNTE(Hc). Specific growth rate, ratio of growth to induction phase, and time of induction were critical for optimal rBoNTE(Hc) production and minimal proteolytic degradation. A computer-controlled exponential growth model was used for process automation and off-gas analysis was used for process monitoring. The optimized process had an induction time of 9 h on methanol and produced up to 3 mg of rBoNTE(Hc) per gram wet cell mass as determined by HPLC and Western blot analysis

Cell bank characterization and fermentation optimization for production of recombinant heavy chain C-terminal fragment of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (rBoNTE(H\u3csub\u3ec\u3c/sub\u3e): Antigen E) by \u3ci\u3ePichia pastoris\u3c/i\u3e

A process was developed for production of a candidate vaccine antigen, recombinant C-terminal heavy chain fragment of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype E, rBoNTE(Hc)in Pichia pastoris. P. pastoris strain GS115 was transformed with the rBoNTE(Hc) gene inserted into pHILD4 Escherichia coli—P. pastoris shuttle plasmid. The clone was characterized for genetic stability, copy number, and BoNTE(Hc) sequence. Expression of rBoNTE(Hc) from the Mut+ HIS4 clone was confirmed in the shake-flask, prior to developing a fed-batch fermentation process at 5 and 19 L scale. The fermentation process consists of a glycerol growth phase in batch and fed-batch mode using a defined medium followed by a glycerol/methanol transition phase for adaptation to growth on methanol and a methanol induction phase resulting in the production of rBoNTE(Hc). Specific growth rate, ratio of growth to induction phase, and time of induction were critical for optimal rBoNTE(Hc) production and minimal proteolytic degradation. A computer-controlled exponential growth model was used for process automation and off-gas analysis was used for process monitoring. The optimized process had an induction time of 9 h on methanol and produced up to 3 mg of rBoNTE(Hc) per gram wet cell mass as determined by HPLC and Western blot analysis

The Influence of Mammographic Technologists on Radiologists' Ability to Interpret Screening Mammograms in Community Practice

To determine whether the mammographic technologist has an effect on the radiologists’ interpretative performance of screening mammography in community practice

Do Mammographic Technologists Affect Radiologists’ Diagnostic Mammography Interpretative Performance?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the technologist has an effect on the radiologists’ interpretative performance of diagnostic mammography

An Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Northeastern Kenya, 1997-98

In December 1997, 170 hemorrhagic fever-associated deaths were reported in Carissa District, Kenya. Laboratory testing identified evidence of acute Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Of the 171 persons enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 31(18%) were anti-RVFV immunoglobulin (Ig) M positive. An age-adjusted IgM antibody prevalence of 14% was estimated for the district. We estimate approximately 27,500 infections occurred in Garissa District, making this the largest recorded outbreak of RVFV in East Africa. In multivariate analysis, contact with sheep body fluids and sheltering livestock in one’s home were significantly associated with infection. Direct contact with animals, particularly contact with sheep body fluids, was the most important modifiable risk factor for RVFV infection. Public education during epizootics may reduce human illness and deaths associated with future outbreaks

Patterns of Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Use in Community Practice

Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used for breast cancer screening, diagnostic evaluation, and surveillance However, we lack data on national patterns of breast MRI use in community practice