Parent-daughter transmission of the androgen receptor gene as an explanation of the effect of father absence on age of menarche

Based on an evolutionary theory of socialization, Belsky and colleagues proposed that girls exposed to a stressful environment, especially when due to father absence in the first 7 years of life, showed an early onset of puberty, precocious sexuality, and unstable relationships as adults. The authors of this article examined an alternative explanation that a variant X-linked androgen receptor (AR) gene, predisposing the father to behaviors that include family abandonment, may be passed to their daughters causing early puberty, precocious sexuality, and behavior problems. The results of a study of 121 White males and 164 White females showed a significant association of the short alleles of the GGC repeat polymorphism of the AR gene with a range of measures of aggression and impulsivity, increased number of sexual partners, sexual compulsivity, and lifetime number of sex partners in males; and paternal divorce, father absence, and early age of menarche in females. These findings support a genetic explanation of the Belsky psychosocial evolutionary hypothesis regarding the association of fathers' absence and parental stress with early age of onset of menarche and early sexual activity in their daughters. A genetic explanation of the father absence effect is proposed in which fathers carrying the AR alleles are more likely to abandon a marriage (father absence) and pass those alleles to their daughters in whom they produce an earlier age of menarche and behavioral problems.     

Navamaga: a new path to new lives

A project in Sri Lanka sponsored by USAID AND the Overseas Education Fund (OEF) used nonformal training to prepare development workers to help women's groups orgnize income-generating projects. OEF and the Women's Bureau developed a 2-phase program for a toatl of 2 months training, which was separated by a 5-month period of field work. By the time the project came to an end in June 1982, development officers had helped rural women set up 2000 income-generating activities in Sri Lanka. their net profit was US $32,000 per month or an average of US $16 per woman. The profits from their activities surpassed the cost of the training project in less than a year. In the following year another 2000 activities were successfully started, so that beneficiaries, as of June, 1983 totalled over 22,000 people--4000 rural wmen and their families. The project, therefore, had a positive impact in a variety of areas: increased agricultural population, increased employment, increased participation of women in economic activities, development of institutional capability in rural areas, raised income of the rural poor and enhancement of health and nutrition.     

College and university requirements for teachers of the deaf at the undergraduate level: a twenty-year comparison

College and university requirements for undergraduate deaf education teacher preparation programs from 1986 and 2006 were compared. Thirty percent fewer undergraduate programs were in existence in 2006 than in 1986. Compared to programs in the 1986-1987 academic year, programs in 2006-2007 placed less emphasis on course work related to speech and hearing and more emphasis on the development of sign language skills. These findings are discussed in relation to the increasing probability that future employment for program graduates will be in itinerant and resource placements within public schools with children whose hearing losses are less severe than those of children in the past.     

书写自己的生命华章

假如有人给你一支笔,一支密封的、纯色的水笔,里面有多少墨水你无法看到,很可能刚刚试着写几个字就能用干,也可能足够写一部或几部皇皇巨著,流传千古,使世事为之而改变。而这一切你在动笔之前无法知晓。     

Numerical Calculation of Concrete Slab Response to Blast Loading

In the present paper, a dynamic plastic damage model for concrete has been employed to estimate responses of a reinforced concrete slab subjected to blast loading. The interaction between the blast wave and the concrete slab is considered in 3D simulation. In the first stage, the initial detonation and blast wave propagation is modelled in 2D simulation before the blast wave reaches the concrete slab, then the results obtained from 2D calculation are remapped to a 3D model. The calculated blast load is compared with that obtained from TM5-1300. Numerical results of the concrete slab response are compared with the explosive test carried out-in the Weapons System Division, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Department of Defence, Australia.     

Kinetics study on biomass pyrolysis for fuel gas production

INTRODUCTIONSincebiomassisanabundant,inexpensiveandrenewableresource ,itsconversiontosyn theticfuelsandchemicalproductsappearsat tractive.Amongallkindsofbiomassconversionroutes,pyrolysisisbeinggivenincreasingatten tionsincetheprocessissimpleandmaybeopti m…     

The Reflection of Cultural Differences in a Joint Performance

Cultureisoneofthemostdifficulttermstobewelldefined.NewWebstersDictionarysaysitisnotonly"theacquiredabilityofanindividualorapeopletorecognizeandappreciategenerallyacceptedestheticandintellectualachievementofcivilizationoraparticularstageorstagesofcivilizationasinthecaseofacertainnationorperiod"butalso"thetotalofhumanbehaviorpatternsandtechnologycommunicatedfromgene-rationtogeneration".Thelatterisananthropologicalandsociologicaldefinition,whichagreeswithLongmanModernEnglishDictionary'sthirddef…     

文化的核心

在中国,英语专业的学生通常要学很多门"外国文化"课,学得最多的是英国和美国文化概况.如今,不管是谁,只要对此加以关注,就不应该仅仅认识到文化课所传递信息的重要,更应该能明确列举出开设这些课所要达到的目标.     

Adolescent childbearing. Whose problem? What can we do?

There are a number of options that help adolescents make appropriate choices about sexual activity, pregnancy, and childbearing. Comprehensive sex education programs are a deterrent to unwanted pregnancy and early sexual activity. Educational attitudes must be changed to reflect a recognition that sexual behavior is not deviant, but a normal part of human development during the transition to adulthood. Programs to prevent unplanned pregnancies must focus on educational expectations, educational achievement, and career preparation. Provision of child care options will help adolescents stay in school. Program focus must be applicable to two groups: older and younger adolescents. Solutions offered by Claire Brindis, based on program evaluations, suggest broad guidelines and local community-specific prevention plans. The responsible expression of sexuality needs greater emphasis than has occurred in many programs, particularly those where sex education is controversial or is confined to a small amount of time. Schools have been the most responsible vehicle for provision of sex education. In addition to sexuality education and pregnancy prevention programs, programs which instill a desire for greater formal education have resulted in delayed sexual activity and childbearing. Schools can play an important role in socializing adolescents for the appropriate transition to adulthood. Schools have become less and less meaningful to adolescents. German apprenticeship programs have been successful in orienting students to jobs in real settings. The Public Service Academy in Washington, D.C., has provided similar opportunities for part-time work or internships in government. Abortion among adolescents is still a politically charged issue in the US. Many have recommended the Maryland example of designating the physician or mental health provider, instead of a judge, as the individual responsible for determining the maturity and best interests of the child in choosing abortion. Pliner and Yates have recommended parental notification laws only for adolescents aged under 15 years. Adoption, as a solution to an unwanted birth, has remained stable at about 1% among Black adolescents and has declined from 19% to 3% among White adolescents over the past 20 years. More research is needed on how to best handle the sense of abandonment and loss or feelings of irresponsibility due to the decision to put an unwanted baby up for adoption.