Changing Childhood Household Contexts and Individual Well-Being in Mexico and the Philippines

This dissertation studies the origins of social inequalities by analyzing the influence that childhood household contexts exert on individuals’ health and education, two important measures of well-being and social status. The key relationships studied here are: (1) father absence due to migration and child illness in rural Mexico; (2) changes in sibsize during childhood and educational attainment in Cebu, Philippines; and, (3) household income effects on underweight and overweight status at the transition to adulthood in Cebu, Philippines. Using prospective, longitudinal data, I find that: (1) father absence due to migration increases child illness especially in the absence of social welfare programs; (2) changes in siblings living in the home tend to decrease educational attainment (although the effects depend on the stage of childhood when the change occurs); and, (3) childhood income affects individuals’ weight status at age 19, with important differences across stages of childhood and by weight status. These findings, overall, suggest that childhood households, and changes in them over time, have important implications for the development of health and education disparities. Future research should pay more attention to measuring changes in household contexts (i.e., the movement of family members in and out, fluctuations in economic and other resources), and to identifying when social contexts matter most for individuals’ well-being

Age at first sex and adult mental health in Nicaragua

Background: Research suggests age at first sex, particularly early sexual debut, is associated with mental distress in adolescence. However, we know little about whether mental health deficits related to age at first sex last into adulthood, and whether this differs by gender, in low-income settings. Objective: We estimate associations between age at first sex and adult mental distress in Nicaragua. Given the gendered nature of sexual norms and higher rates of mental distress among Nicaraguan women, we assess gender differences in associations. We consider number of sexual partners and births as potential mediators. Methods: We use data from the 2011/2012 Nicaragua Reproductive Health Survey (N = 10,893 women; N = 3,495 men) and negative binomial regression to assess how age at first sex is associated with adult mental distress. Results: Women and men whose first sex occurred during early adolescence had higher rates of adult mental distress than those who delayed sex until ages 15‒17. Delaying first sex after age 17 was associated with decreased mental distress for women only. We found little evidence of mediation. Conclusions: Early first sex is associated with increased adult mental distress in Nicaragua. This finding is particularly robust for women. In this setting, women whose sexual debut begins before adulthood (age 18) have higher rates of mental distress. Contribution: Findings suggest that early first sex may contribute to long-term mental distress, and gender disparities, in low-income settings. Providing resources to help delay first sex beyond early adolescence may be critical for mental health in adulthood

Discovery of a New Deeply Eclipsing SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova, IY UMa (= TmzV85)

We discovered a new deeply eclipsing SU UMa-type dwarf nova, IY UMa, which experienced a superoutburst in 2000 January. Our monitoring revealed two distinct outbursts, which suggest a superoutburst interval of ~800 d, or its half, and an outburst amplitude of 5.4 mag. From time-series photometry during the superoutburst, we determined a superhump and orbital period of 0.07588 d and 0.0739132 d, respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by PASJ lette

Psychological methods of manipulation in advertising

This paper analyses the perception and processing of the advertising information by a person carried out under the influence of manipulative advertising techniques. Advertising specialists take them into account and use them in their work by optimizing the impact on the potential buyer.В данной статье анализируется восприятие и обработка рекламной информации лицом, оказавшимся под влиянием манипулятивных методов рекламы. Специалисты по рекламе принимают их во внимание и использовать в своей работе, повышая эффективность воздействия на потенциального покупателя

A New SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova, QW Serpentis (= TmzV46)

We report on the results of the QW Ser campaign which has been continued from 2000 to 2003 by the VSNET collaboration team. Four long outbursts and many short ones were caught during this period. Our intensive photometric observations revealed superhumps with a period of 0.07700(4) d during all four superoutbursts, proving the SU UMa nature of this star. The recurrence cycles of the normal outbursts and the superoutbursts were measured to be $\sim$50 days and 240(30) days, respectively. The change rate of the superhump period was -5.8x10^{-5}. The distance and the X-ray luminosity in the range of 0.5-2.4 keV are estimated to be 380(60) pc and log L_x = 31.0 \pm 0.1 erg s^{-1}. These properties have typical values for an SU UMa-type dwarf nova with this superhump period.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, to appear in the VSNET special issue of PAS

Swift observations of the X-ray and UV evolution of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg 2008 No. 2)

We present extensive, high-density Swift observations of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg 2008 No. 2). Observing the X-ray emission from only one day after the nova discovery, the source is followed through the initial brightening, the Super-Soft Source phase and back to the pre-outburst flux level. The evolution of the spectrum throughout the outburst is demonstrated. The UV and X-ray light-curves follow very different paths, although changes occur in them around the same times, indicating a link between the bands. Flickering in the late-time X-ray data indicates the resumption of accretion. We show that if the white dwarf is magnetic, it would be among the most magnetic known; the lack of a periodic signal in our later data argues against a magnetic white dwarf, however. We also discuss the possibility that V2491 Cyg is a recurrent nova, providing recurrence timescale estimates.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure (2 in colour), accepted for publication in MNRA

Efficient Non-viral Gene Delivery into Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells by Minicircle Sleeping Beauty Transposon Vectors

The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system is a non-viral gene delivery platform that combines simplicity, inexpensive manufacture, and favorable safety features in the context of human applications. However, efficient correction of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) with non-viral vector systems, including SB, demands further refinement of gene delivery techniques. We set out to improve SB gene transfer into hard-to-transfect human CD34 + cells by vectorizing the SB system components in the form of minicircles that are devoid of plasmid backbone sequences and are, therefore, significantly reduced in size. As compared to conventional plasmids, delivery of the SB transposon system as minicircle DNA is 3c20 times more efficient, and it is associated with up to a 50% reduction in cellular toxicity in human CD34 + cells. Moreover, providing the SB transposase in the form of synthetic mRNA enabled us to further increase the efficacy and biosafety of stable gene delivery into hematopoietic progenitors ex vivo. Genome-wide insertion site profiling revealed a close-to-random distribution of SB transposon integrants, which is characteristically different from gammaretroviral and lentiviral integrations in HSPCs. Transplantation of gene-marked CD34 + cells in immunodeficient mice resulted in long-term engraftment and hematopoietic reconstitution, which was most efficient when the SB transposase was supplied as mRNA and nucleofected cells were maintained for 4\u20138 days in culture before transplantation. Collectively, implementation of minicircle and mRNA technologies allowed us to further refine the SB transposon system in the context of HSPC gene delivery to ultimately meet clinical demands of an efficient and safe non-viral gene therapy protocol. Ivics and collegues refined the Sleeping Beauty transposon system for gene transfer in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells by vectorizing the transposon components as minicircle DNA and synthetic mRNA. The advanced vector system enables efficient and safe non-viral engineering of hematopoietic cells that can be transplanted into immunodeficient mice

SN 2008S: an electron capture SN from a super-AGB progenitor?

We present comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of the faint transient SN 2008S discovered in NGC 6946. SN 2008S exhibited slow photometric evolution and almost no spectral variability during the first nine months, implying a high density CS medium. The light curve is similar in shape to that of SN 1998S and SN 1979C, although significantly fainter at maximum light. Our quasi-bolometric lightcurve extends to 300 days and shows a tail phase decay rate consistent with that of ^{56}Co. We propose that this is evidence for an explosion and formation of ^{56}Ni (0.0015 +/- 0.0004 M_Sun). The large MIR flux detected shortly after explosion can be explained by a light echo from pre-exisiting dust. The late NIR flux excess is plausibly due to a combination of warm newly-formed ejecta dust together with shock-heated dust in the CS environment. We reassess the progenitor object detected previously in Spitzer archive images, supplementing this discussion with a model of the MIR spectral energy distribution. This supports the idea of a dusty, optically thick shell around SN 2008S with an inner radius of nearly 90AU and outer radius of 450AU, and an inferred heating source of 3000 K and luminosity of L ~ 10^{4.6} L_Sun. The combination of our monitoring data and the evidence from the progenitor analysis leads us to support the scenario of a weak electron capture supernova explosion in a super-AGB progenitor star (of initial mass 6-8 M_sun) embedded within a thick CS gaseous envelope. We suggest that all of main properties of the electron capture SN phenomenon are observed in SN 2008S and future observations may allow a definitive answer.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS (2009 May 7