495,545 research outputs found
Child support enforcement for teenage fathers: Problems and prospects
No full textThe NLSY data indicate that about 7.3 percent of teenage males become fathers and that very few of these fathers live with their children. Father absence and the concurrent increase in female-headed households are closely associated with the impoverishment of children. Most absent teen fathers never come into contact with the child support enforcement program, and the extent to which they financially support their children informally is not well understood. While the income of absent teen fathers is low in the teen years, it increases over time, as does the potential for collecting child support. Nevertheless, men who were absent teen fathers earn less in early adulthood than men who deferred parenting until age twenty or later and teen fathers who lived with their children. Early establishment of paternity and greater standardization in the treatment of adolescent fathers by the child support enforcement program are recommended. Further, the substantial and persistent income deficit experienced by adolescent fathers who live apart from their children raises an interesting dilemma. While children may benefit financially and psychosocially from living with two parents, the lower income of men who were absent teenage fathers may make them poor marital prospects. This raises doubts about the recent recommendations of some scholars that we should bring back the shotgun wedding.
The Australian letter, England, ca. 1860 [picture] /
No full textTitle from label on verso.; Inscriptions: "No. 114. The Australian Letter. A Study from Life. Photographed and Published by Frank M. Good, London"--On label on verso.; Condition: Soiled, spotting, stained, scratched.; "A wonderfully composed and lit tableau, set in an English rustic house, where one of the daughters reads aloud a letter from a loved one in the colonies"--Information from acquisitions documentation.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn5057635; Purchased from the Hobart Book Fair, 12-13 February 2011
Another factor to consider in choosing a child support guideline: Errors in child support calculations
No full textIn an effort to standardize the calculation of monthly child support awards, the federal government requires states to use preestablished formulas to determine the amount of awards. However, because of human error, differences in the experience and training of the officials making the calculations, and the extent to which computers are used to calculate the awards, the formulas do not always yield the same result. In fact, the discrepancy between the amount calculated by an individual child support official and the approved amount as calculated by the state in which that official works can be quite large, on the order of several hundred dollars. Adopting simpler formulas will reduce errors; this should be a priority even if child support officials use computers to calculate award amounts (computers can reduce errors but will not eliminate them, particularly in the case of complex formulas). Efforts to further the training and education of personnel who calculate awards would also help, and child support offices should revise their formulas to cover high-income cases.
Mothers of Men: the A&M Mothers' Clubs and coeducation
No full textDue to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 36-38).In 1933 the Texas A&M Mothers' Clubs sent petitions and letters to the Board of Advisors requesting that Texas A&M University retain its all-male status. While most studies of women opposed to equal rights center on the women maintaining power through their feminine sphere of influence, the mothers of the A&M Mothers' Clubs at this time were more concerned with being defined as good mothers by maintaining their sons' power. My research of the action of the A&M Mothers' Clubs focuses on two main aspects: a historical perspective and the social construction of motherhood. In 1933, the United States faced the worst of the Great Depression, with no end in sight. Every spot a woman had in either education or the workforce was considered one less spot for a man. Gender, or the social construct defining roles for men and women, at the time dictated that men become wage earners and support a family. It was very important in a time of high unemployment that men find a way to fulfill their roles. Men spent most of their time outside of the home, and mothers stayed home with their children. Society feared that males raised by mothers would become too feminine, so mothers were advised to teach their sons masculinity, or their proper gender role. The social construction of motherhood also greatly changed during the 1910s when these women were raising their sons. Society began to treat motherhood as a profession, and like all professions of the times, there was a right way and a wrong way to perform your job. Known as scientific motherhood, mothers during this time were advised exactly how to raise a child. Direct participation in a child's education was also common, with Parent Teachers' Associations springing up across the country. Psychologically, mothers began to bear the brunt of disorders. More and more problems were attributed to the effects of bad mothering upon a child, and mothers strove to earn the label of good mother. The Victorian era glorification of the mother was slowly disappearing when these women entered motherhood. When these forces combined to work on mothers from the 1910s to 1930s, women cared about the status of their sons. In an effort to maintain their sons' gender role of provider, secure him a spot in education, and be an involved mother, the mothers of the Texas A&M Mothers' Clubs worked to maintain the all-male status of Texas A&M University. Like other women opposed to equal rights, these women organized themselves into an effective group, but unlike those women, the mothers of the A&M Mothers' Clubs strove to maintain their sons' power, and not their own
Role of aggregation conditions and presence of small heat shock proteins on abeta structure, stability and toxicity
No full textAlzheimer��s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is one of such diseases associated with protein aggregation. Aβ is the main protein component of senile plaques in AD, and is neurotoxic when aggregated. In particular, soluble oligomeric forms of Aβ are closely related to neurotoxicity. In this dissertation, we examine the differences in Aβ aggregation intermediates, and final structures formed when only a simple modification in Aβ aggregation conditions is made, the presence or absence of mixing during aggregation. We show that intermediates in the aggregation pathway show significantly different structural rearrangements. The protein stabilities of Αβ species show that spherical aggregates corresponding to the most toxic Αβ species change their structure the most rapidly in denaturant, and that in general, increased toxicity correlated with decreased aggregate stability. In Alzheimer��s disease, even delaying Aβ aggregation onset or slowing its progression might be therapeutically useful, as disease onset is late in life. Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) may be useful for prevention of Αβ aggregation, since sHsps can interact with partly folded intermediate states of proteins to prevent incorrect folding and aggregation. In this research, several small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are tested to prevent Aβ aggregation and toxicity. sHsps used in this research are Hsp17.7, Hsp27, and Hsp20. All types of Hsp20, Hsp20-MBP, His-Hsp20 and His-Hsp20 without 11 residues in C-terminus, can prevent Aβ1-40 aggregation. Hsp20 also prevents Aβ toxicity in the same concentration ranges of it aggregation prevention activity. Hsp17.7 and Hsp27, however, can inhibit Αβ1-40 aggregation but not toxicity. A number of experiments to examine the mechanism of Hsp20 suggest that multivalent binding of sHsp to Aβ is necessary for the toxicity prevention activity. Conclusively, different Aβ incubation conditions in vitro can affect the rate of Aβ fibril formation, the morphology, the toxicity and the conformation of intermediates in the aggregation pathway. Hsp20 rather than other sHsps may be a useful molecular model for the drug design of the next generation of Aβ aggregation inhibitors to be used in the treatment of AD
Predicting spatial distribution of critical pore types and their influence on reservoir quality, Canyon (Pennsylvanian) Reef reservoir, Diamond M field, Texas
No full textThis study examined the stratigraphic architecture, depositional and diagenetic
histories, and resulting reservoir characteristics that have influenced the occurrence,
distribution, and quality of flow units in the Diamond M field, Scurry County, Texas.
The study area is located in the Midland Basin. The field has production from the
Canyon (Pennsylvanian) Horseshoe Atoll carbonate buildup. Recent drilling in the
Diamond M field was done to evaluate ways to improve recovery by water flooding.
Classification of depositional texture based on detailed petrologic and petrographic
studies on three cores was done. Subsequent genetic classification of pore types by thin
section petrography revealed three dominant pore types: intramatrix, moldic, and vuggy.
The reservoir was zoned according to dominant pore type and log signatures to evaluate
correlations at field scale by using neutron logs. Equations determined from core
analyses provided equations used for estimating porosity and permeability, which were
used to develop a ranking scheme for reservoir quality based on good, intermediate, and
poor flow units at field scale. Ultimately slice maps of reservoir quality at a 10 ft
interval for a 150 ft section of the Canyon Reef reservoir were developed. These reservoir quality maps will provide a useful tool for the design and implementation of
accurate and profitable development programs
Development of an interleukin 2 receptor targeted gene therapy vehicle
No full textThe effectiveness of most chemotherapeutic regimens is limited by the toxicity of
the therapy to normal healthy cells. Therapies to selectively modulate abnormal T cells
bearing the interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R) have been developed to treat diseases
associated with aberrant immune response. This study describes the development and
optimization of a targeted gene or oligonucleotide therapy vehicle to IL-2R bearing T
cells for selective elimination of these cells. In this work, a monoclonal antibody to the
IL-2R was used to target the oligonucleotide delivery vehicle which consisted of a
polyamidoamine dendrimer. Optimization of the delivery vehicle involves
understanding the factors that govern its association with oligonucleotide, the pathway
of IL-2R endocytic trafficking, and the stability of the oligonucleotide in the biological
milieu. Oligonucleotide stability in a cellular environment was examined intra- and
extracellularly. Results showed that the rate of intracellular degradation of
oligonucleotides was much greater than extracellular degradation. Binding of
oligonucleotides to dendrimers was demonstrated as a function of dendrimer generation.
The total binding capacities for dendrimers differed depending upon dendrimer size and
surface group, whereas equilibrium binding affinity was comparable for all dendrimers
tested. Binding of oligonucleotide delivery vehicle to the cell surface and subsequent
internalization was inversely related to dendrimer size, and in all cases, significantly less
than binding and internalization of the natural ligand for the IL-2R. Based on
experimental results, a kinetic model of the delivery vehicle was derived which includedthe dependence of binding and internalization on dendrimer size and surface charge and
intracellular degradation of oligonucleotide. Based on model predictions, we show that
larger dendrimers carry more oligonucleotide than the smaller dendrimer vehicles, and
delivery is more effective with larger vehicles. This work establishes our ability to
predict the effects of different delivery vehicle properties on oligonucleotide delivery
and aids in the development of design criteria for new vehicles for delivery of antisense,
siRNA, or genes to IL-2R bearing cells
Stipulations in Performance Contracting M&V: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
No full textPerformance contractors (PC) often use stipulations for part or all of their measurement & verification (M&V)
efforts. The value of stipulations are low cost and easy implementation (good). Disadvantages include uncertain
savings estimates (bad) and potential for disputes and lawsuits (ugly). PCs and customers sometimes misuse or
abuse stipulations either by stipulating the savings directly or stipulating parameters based on limited or unreliable
information. The purpose of M&V is to provide assurance that project savings exist. Improper and excessive
reliance on stipulations may effectively nullify savings guarantees and also miss opportunities to assure measure
performance by using verification data for feedback. A review of PCs in the federal sector shows significant reliance
on stipulations; private-sector PCs are presumed similar. Recognized M&V guidelines such as ASHRAE 14-P,
IPMVP, and FEMP discuss the use of stipulations. Recent changes to the IPMVP and FEMP guidelines resulted in
diverging attitudes towards stipulations with the IPMVP now requiring some measurements. In response, FEMP is
developing guidelines for using stipulations in federal-sector performance contracts that can be applied to privatesector
PCs as well. Proper use of stipulations requires balancing costs with savings uncertainty
Short Term Energy Monitoring: What Does This Information Mean to the Facility Energy Manager?
No full textEngineers at the Energy Systems Laboratory at
Texas A&M University have completed short term
energy metering studies at a complex of offices in
northern Texas and several buildings on the Texas
A&M University campus during the past 18 months.
These studies typically consisted of installing
electrical metering at the, whole building level and
included sub-metering of selected circuits when
possible. Personnel would go through the entire
facility ensuring that all lighting, fan, and mechanical
systems were active and on. After a period of
approximately 10 minutes, a selected areas of the
building would be "turned off." This sequence was
repeated for all areas of interest in the facility. At the
end of the lighting test, air handlers, then chilling and
pumping equipment was turned off (if applicable)
and a final ten minutes of electrical use data taken.
In each of these facilities, lighting system load
verification was the primary goal and the data
provided a very good accounting for all buildings
studied. The northern Texas office buildings in
particular, were interested in these data for
comparison with a recently hired performance
contractor. The A&M study was a follow-up to an
earlier lighting study that had been conducted by the
campus energy office. Base electrical load data was
also determined from these tests. This paper presents
results of these studies and suggests that the method
is attractive to both contractors and facility energy
managers as well
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