Cycle Of Deprivation Research Articles

Human Security Situation and State Police Establishment Contention in Nigeria

This study examined human security situation and state police establishment contention in Nigeria. This theoretical paper draws its arguments primarily from secondary sources of data, such as journal publications and textbooks. The study concluded that the capacity of the Police is further reduced due to the deployment of a good number of policemen to undertake “guard duties” and private security services for the rich and affluent in the society. Perhaps, the greatest impediment to police effectiveness in Nigeria remains corruption. The limited funds meant for security and other developmental purposes are diverted by those responsible for their utilization. This creates an unending vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, greed, exploitation, unemployment and general underdevelopment that culminates in weakening the capacity of government to provide social services, fund security ultimately undermining national security. This study recommended a reform which would pave way for state police formations and give power to state governors over the police contingents in their states.

Prevalence and predictors to occurrence of adolescent repeat pregnancy among adolescents attending health facilities in Suna East Sub County-Migori Kenya

Background: A repeat pregnancy at adolescence often comes with much stress and complications. It feeds into a cycle of deprivation that compromises the life of the young mother and her child. Majority of girls might be having one child but many more might be pregnant or having more than one child at that age. Method: This was a cross sectional mixed method study with semi-structured questionnaires administered to 381 adolescents. Two FGD and 5 key informant interviews were also conducted. Quantitative data was analysed using t-test for continuous variables and chi-square test for categorical data. Results: The 30.4% of adolescents had repeat pregnancy. Adolescents from Luo ethnic group were 50% less likely to have repeat pregnancy. Those who knew at least one method of family planning were 40% less likely to have repeat pregnancy while those who had more than two sexual partners had higher odds of repeat pregnancy (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.1-5.6; p=0.02). Adolescents who used condoms only sometimes were twice likely to report repeat pregnancy. (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1-2.7; p=0.01) while those whose mother had a child while under 18 years had 50% chance of having a repeat pregnancy. Conclusions: The study established a prevalence of repeat pregnancy at 30.4%. There was significant association between ethnicity, level of contraceptive knowledge and having multiple sexual partners to repeat pregnancy. Adolescents with inadequate support and those whose mother had pregnancy when below 18 years were also significantly at risk of repeat pregnancy.

0678 Consequences of following the herd: Perceptions drive a vicious cycle of poor student sleep habits at an elite university

Abstract Introduction Poor sleep health is widespread among undergraduate university students. This study sought to understand the contributors to poor sleep quality at an elite undergraduate university in the United States. In particular, we were interested in uncovering the social influences on sleep regularity, which is increasingly regarded as a critical determinant of overall sleep quality. Methods An exploratory, mixed-methods study was designed combining a week-long diary study (n=5) and in-depth contextual interviews (n=5) to better understand undergraduate students’ college experience and sleep behaviors, followed by a student survey (n=181) to uncover primary macro trends and factors related to those sleep behaviors. Results A significant irregular sleep schedule emerged as highly common among students. Sleep irregularity was strongly influenced by students’ perceptions about their peers’ sleep and working habits. These perceptions combined with a personal desire to keep pace with their peers and the prioritization of academic work implicitly stated by the university culture influenced when and how students went about their lives, even if those behaviors meant acting against their knowledge and judgment. The convergence of perceptions and behaviors generates a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and low productivity. The cycle stems from students’ desire to match their peers, which leads to late nights and sleep deprivation. The resulting impaired executive functioning contributes to subsequent inefficient scheduling and lack of concentration. As concentration drops, students multi-tasked more often and incomplete tasks piled up, necessitating further sleep deprivation to get it all done. Conclusion Poor sleep regularity in college is influenced by a set of interconnected factors derived at both the level of the individual student and at the student-body level. Interventions should consider a dual approach to break the vicious cycle, targeting the harmful beliefs among students about the sleep and working habits of their peers, and the prioritization of academic work. Support (if any)

'Nobody taught her how to be a mother': The lived experience of mothering without a mother.

Maternal grandmothers play a vital role in the transition to motherhood for their own daughters. The current study adds to this literature by investigating the lived experience of motherhood for women who lacked a meaningful relationship with their mothers. Ten mothers of children under 2 years of age participated in a semi-structured interview to explore their lived experiences of being a mother. Women were recruited from two parent-infant services in Northern Ireland. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three superordinate themes were identified: 'The Birth of a Mother', 'Mourning and Loss' and 'Ghosts in the Nursery'. The first theme captured the significant change of identity women experienced during their transition to motherhood. This identity change shed new light on their own experience of being mothered. The second theme captured the mourning and loss these women felt due to their relationship with their mother. Their lack of meaningful maternal relationships have left a hole impossible to fill. The final theme spoke to the intergenerational element of these mother's experience and their desire to break a cycle of maternal deprivation. The rich content from the interviews highlights the need for services to be aware of this struggle of motherhood.

Ten2Twenty-Ghana: Study Design and Methods for an Innovative Randomized Controlled Trial with Multiple-Micronutrient-Fortified Biscuits among Adolescent Girls in Northeastern Ghana.

ABSTRACTInvesting in adolescent girls’ nutrition is vital for health and for breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition and deprivation, but limited knowledge on the type, timing, and efficacy of interventions delays progress. We describe the design of a 26-wk randomized placebo-controlled trial with multiple-micronutrient–fortified biscuits (MMBs) among adolescent girls in northeastern Ghana. Apparently healthy, premenarche (n = 312) and postmenarche (n = 309) girls (10–17 y) were randomly assigned to receive the following for 5 d/wk: 1) MMBs (fortified with 11 vitamins and 7 minerals) or 2) unfortified biscuits. Data included plasma micronutrient status, anthropometry, body composition, cognitive function, psychosocial health, fertility, dietary intake, and sociodemographic and socioeconomic covariates, complemented with in-depth interviews (n = 30) and 4 focus group discussions. We hypothesized an increase in plasma ferritin and retinol-binding protein with a resultant increase in hemoglobin, cognition, vertical height, and psychosocial health. Our study seeks to investigate the efficacy and optimal timing of a multiple-micronutrient food intervention program for adolescent girls. The RCT was registered prospectively with the Netherlands Clinical Trials Register (NL7487).

Exploring the Path of Suicide for the Poor in the City: Based on deprivation experience

This study was conducted to reveal how city poors’ lives resulted in suicide by retrospective exploration of the lives of eight poor suicides in one local city on the basis of the critical awareness that suicide in our country is related to economic structure. For this purpose, the contents of intensive interviews with family, neighbors, documents and texts of deceased persons were analyzed qualitatively based on the grounded theory. As a result, the eight deceased people had different human composition, but their lives began in common with experience various social deprivation while growing up in poor families and thus had already formed a state of internal and external vulnerability before adulthood. However, it was found that there were temporary achievements and improvements in personal efforts to overcome the problem situation. Despite the hard-won changes, they failed to cross the barriers of a vicious cycle of structural limitations and social deprivation, and their problems worsened again and their frustrations repeated, eventually pushing them to the end of life without brakes. And once again, when exposed to incidents that add to the suicide crisis, it was found to have committed suicide as a final attempt to escape the frustration and pain of accumulating deprivation experience. Based on this, the suicide path of the urban poor was formed in connection with direct and indirect problems at the social structure level. Finally, the main points were examined and multi-dimensional suggestions were made to prevent suicide of the urban poor and to strengthen their resilience.

Shattered Dreams and Stolen Childhood: A Study of Child Labour and Child Rights in Restaurants and Hotels of Pokhara, Nepal

Nepal is committed to end child labour expressed by the ratification of ILO convention and its national plan of action for children and Master Plan to end child labour. However, the wicked problem’ of child labour is increasing at an alarming rate in urban areas. New hotels and restaurants have been opened and along with it a new way of child labour exploitation has emerged in urban centres. Most of the workers in restaurants/hotels of Pokhara are children. The employers of such business prefer child labour as they are cheap and can be easily exploited. This study attempts to determine the extent to which child labour constitutes a violation of child rights. Pedestal on theories of exploitation and structural-functionalism the study result reveals that condition of child labourers is disgraceful with a shattered dream and stolen childhood—a result of family dysfunction and child rights violation by employer that has thwarted the opportunities for healthy adulthood under a vicious cycle of deprivation, abuse and exploitation. Amid noxious relationship between child labourer and the employer, child labourers face violence and sexual harassment by employer, senior staff and customers. Heavy workload, trouncing and dragging by hair and ill-treatment are the common violence faced by child labourer. Most of the employers are ignorant of child rights. It is a paradox that child labourer is valuable for employer but the life of child labourer is worthless. Most of the child labourers are willing to rehabilitate.

Mobile phone penetration and its impact on inequality in the Western Balkan countries

Abstract The aim of this paper is to analyse the effect of the mobile phone penetration rate on inequality in Western Balkan countries and to provide empirical evidence. We explore the question of whether cell phone diffusion helps to decrease inequality and whether it has a positive income equality effect. In the developed conceptual framework, we consider that people with access to mobile telephony also have access to Wi-Fi and GPS and that individuals can perform different activities, such as engaging in e-commerce, e-governance, health, and education; paying bills; saving money; and transferring money to other persons. This represents a good foundation for poor persons exit the cycle of deprivation and leads to the development of equal opportunities. We analyse the impact of mobile phone penetration on inequality in Western Balkan countries by using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares models (Asongu, 2015). Our results confirm the income-redistributive effect of mobile phone penetration.

Cocoa agroforestry and tree diversity in relation to past land use in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon

Shifting agriculture (SA) involving fallow intervals between crop cycles is common in tropical areas. It allows the recovery of soil fertility for subsequent crops. However, the diminishing of fallow intervals (referred here as intensification of SA) is a main cause of forest degradation. Agroforestry systems (AFSs) based on modification of mature forests may play an important role in buffering adverse environmental outcomes caused by short fallow intervals in SA. We investigated whether AFSs reverse the effect of intensification of SA in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) agrosystems and aimed to (1) characterize species diversity in cocoa agroecosystem under SA with short fallow periods; (2) predict the ecological impact of intensification of SA on floristic composition, particularly in endangered endemic species; and (3) identify whether changes in floristic composition and species diversity in agroecosystems under different fallow intervals are localized in certain strata or whether structural changes occur throughout the plant community. Our study revealed that shortened SA’s fallow periods on cocoa AFSs have drastic effects on levels of diversity. Tree species assembly decreases across cocoa agroforest established in reduced fallow periods. Also, absence of fallow intervals of SA affects tree conservation rates in AFSs by changing floristic composition. Nevertheless, the use of AFSs with complex arboreal structures under SA preserves and protects higher rates of native and endangered endemic species and delays forest degradation rates. The conservation of native species in this agricultural model may meet the requirements to reverse the cycle of land degradation and social deprivation.

THE ROLE OF TREE DOMESTICATION IN GREEN MARKET PRODUCT VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA


 
 
 Internationally, there is increasing interest in acquiring ‘green’ market, organic and/or fair trade products, also sourced from the wild. The latter is expected to come from well-managed (forest) systems. This has led to the development and implementation of programmes designed to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (for mitigation of climate change, and sustainable provision of environmental goods and services) (REDD and REDD+). Crucially, this approach needs to be extended to the many poor, hungry and marginalized smallholder farmers in developing countries so that they can benefit from this increased market interest, but also to allow them to improve their natural resource (management) basis. In this context, agroforestry tree domestication has made considerable progress in the last 20 years, especially in Africa, in providing planting materials of many new tree crops for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries and consumer markets across many agro-ecological zones. Tree domestication is an important element and the first necessary step in the development of sustainable tree production for introduction in agroforestry systems. These trees can then form the basis of Non-Timber Forest Production (NTFP) that can feed into livelihood development. In contrast to wild trees, planted trees can offer a more regular and continuous supply of NTFPs that then feed into local-to-global value chains and highly sophisticated markets that demand higher quality and greater uniformity. Together with research institutes, local farmers are now developing new, more performant cultivars of species of interest. They thus eventually help to create direct benefits from the processing and subsequent marketing of food and non-food products in local, regional and international markets. The latter activities also create business and employment opportunities in local cottage industries. Similarly, through the indirect environmental and ecological services provided by trees, food security can be greatly enhanced as agroforestry may improve the production environment of crops and thus close the yield gap (i.e. the difference between the potential and actual yield) of modern crop varieties. In this way, agroforestry adds income generation to agro-ecological approaches which together reverse the cycle of land degradation and social deprivation whilst at the same time transforming the lives of poor farmers. However, these benefits do not come without some risks: the loss of genetic diversity and local rights over genetic resources, and exploitation by unscrupulous entrepreneurs. Agroforestry developments should therefore focus on better access to ‘green’ business opportunities for poor smallholder farmers in Africa by maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks.
 KEYWORDS: AGROFORESTRY TREE PRODUCTS; GENETIC DIVERSITY; INDIGENOUS TREE SPECIES; LIVELIHOODS, REDD+
 
 

Physiological responses of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) towater deficit and recovery

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) plants were subjected to repeated water depletions and rehydration in order to evaluate the physiological responses to water deficit. The first cycle of water deprivation (WD) was induced by withholding water after sufficient irrigation; plants and soil samples were harvested 3 and 7 days after water deprivation (3 DAW and 7 DAW, respectively). The other half of the water-deprived plants were sufficiently re-watered once, and plants and soil samples were collected 3 and 10 days after re-watering (3 DAR and 10 DAR, respectively). WD produced strong decreases in leaf hydration and remarkable increases of H2O2 contents, and these changes were recovered after irrigation. Leaf hydration and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents were linearly correlated to soil water contents. Abundance of δ13C gradually increased during the experiment, indicating stomatal closure. Shoot/root ratios decreased in response to WD, particularly during the second cycle of WD. Generally, total carbon (C)and total nitrogen (N)contents decreased along the experiment, whereas, total soluble sugar contents and C/N ratios kept unchanged. Total amino acid (TAA) content dramatically accumulated at the expense of soluble protein upon WD and both nitrogen fractions fully recovered after irrigation. Compared to glutathione (GSH) that slightly increased in response to WD, ascorbate contents and dehydroascorbate (DHA) reductase activities were significantly impaired by WD, but resumed after re-watering. WD and re-watering had less pronounced effects on DHA contents and GSH reductase activities. In conclusion, lavender plants responded strongly to water deficit and the physiological alterations largely recovered to previous levels after irrigation, with the exception of total C and total N contents. Thus, episodic drought events may impact growth and productivity even in plants with high resilience.

The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour.

Drawing on recent research on the psychology of social class, I argue that the material conditions in which people grow up and live have a lasting impact on their personal and social identities and that this influences both the way they think and feel about their social environment and key aspects of their social behaviour. Relative to middle‐class counterparts, lower/working‐class individuals are less likely to define themselves in terms of their socioeconomic status and are more likely to have interdependent self‐concepts; they are also more inclined to explain social events in situational terms, as a result of having a lower sense of personal control. Working‐class people score higher on measures of empathy and are more likely to help others in distress. The widely held view that working‐class individuals are more prejudiced towards immigrants and ethnic minorities is shown to be a function of economic threat, in that highly educated people also express prejudice towards these groups when the latter are described as highly educated and therefore pose an economic threat. The fact that middle‐class norms of independence prevail in universities and prestigious workplaces makes working‐class people less likely to apply for positions in such institutions, less likely to be selected and less likely to stay if selected. In other words, social class differences in identity, cognition, feelings, and behaviour make it less likely that working‐class individuals can benefit from educational and occupational opportunities to improve their material circumstances. This means that redistributive policies are needed to break the cycle of deprivation that limits opportunities and threatens social cohesion.

The Role of Tree Domestication in Green Market Product Value Chain Development in Africa

Internationally, there is increasing interest in acquiring ‘green’ market, organic and/or fair trade products, also sourced from the wild. The latter is expected to come from well-managed (forest) systems. This has led to the development and implementation of programmes designed to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (for mitigation of climate change, and sustainable provision of environmental goods and services) (REDD and REDD+). Crucially, this approach needs to be extended to the many poor, hungry and marginalized smallholder farmers in developing countries so that they can benefit from this increased market interest, but also to allow them to improve their natural resource (management) basis. In this context, agroforestry tree domestication has made considerable progress in the last 20 years, especially in Africa, in providing planting materials of many new tree crops for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries and consumer markets across many agro-ecological zones. Tree domestication is an important element and the first necessary step in the development of sustainable tree production for introduction in agroforestry systems. These trees can then form the basis of Non-Timber Forest Production (NTFP) that can feed into livelihood development. In contrast to wild trees, planted trees can offer a more regular and continuous supply of NTFPs that then feed into local-to-global value chains and highly sophisticated markets that demand higher quality and greater uniformity. Together with research institutes, local farmers are now developing new, more performant cultivars of species of interest. They thus eventually help to create direct benefits from the processing and subsequent marketing of food and non-food products in local, regional and international markets. The latter activities also create business and employment opportunities in local cottage industries. Similarly, through the indirect environmental and ecological services provided by trees, food security can be greatly enhanced as agroforestry may improve the production environment of crops and thus close the yield gap (i.e. the difference between the potential and actual yield) of modern crop varieties. In this way, agroforestry adds income generation to agro-ecological approaches which together reverse the cycle of land degradation and social deprivation whilst at the same time transforming the lives of poor farmers. However, these benefits do not come without some risks: the loss of genetic diversity and local rights over genetic resources, and exploitation by unscrupulous entrepreneurs. Agroforestry developments should therefore focus on better access to ‘green’ business opportunities for poor smallholder farmers in Africa by maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks.

A conceptual framework to assess effectiveness in wheelchair provision.

BackgroundCurrently, inadequate wheelchair provision has forced many people with disabilities to be trapped in a cycle of poverty and deprivation, limiting their ability to access education, work and social facilities. This issue is in part because of the lack of collaboration among various stakeholders who need to work together to design, manufacture and deliver such assistive mobility devices. This in turn has led to inadequate evidence about intervention effectiveness, disability prevalence and subsequent costeffectiveness that would help facilitate appropriate provision and support for people with disabilities.ObjectivesIn this paper, we describe a novel conceptual framework that can be tested across the globe to study and evaluate the effectiveness of wheelchair provision.MethodThe Comparative Effectiveness Research Subcommittee (CER-SC), consisting of the authors of this article, housed within the Evidence-Based Practice Working Group (EBP-WG) of the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP), conducted a scoping review of scientific literature and standard practices used during wheelchair service provision. The literature review was followed by a series of discussion groups.ResultsThe three iterations of the conceptual framework are described in this manuscript.ConclusionWe believe that adoption of this conceptual framework could have broad applications in wheelchair provision globally to develop evidence-based practices. Such a perspective will help in the comparison of different strategies employed in wheelchair provision and further improve clinical guidelines. Further work is being conducted to test the efficacy of this conceptual framework to evaluate effectiveness of wheelchair service provision in various settings across the globe.

Youth Barometer Report - 2017

A quarter of the world’s population today is constituted of 1.8 billion adolescents and youth (between the ages of 10 and 24 years) – the largest youth population ever. There has never been earlier so many young people and consequently never before there has been such a humongous opportunity for economic and social development. This swell in the worldwide population of young people has the unprecedented potential to metamorphose economies for better or worse, contingent on the decisions and inclination of today's policy makers and how well governments respond to young people’s needs and enable them to engage fully and implicitly in public and economic affairs. This enormous growth in both the number and share of youth in the population in much of the developing world has ensued a phenomenon increasingly being stated as “youth bulge”. This evolution is indicated by a striking change in the age structure of the population, where the proportion of youth increases substantially compared to other age groups, both older and younger. It has occurred as a result of demographic transition, that is, decreasing early childhood mortality followed, with a lag, by diminishing fertility. This demographic transition paves the way for demographic dividend. That is, for a country to realize a demographic dividend, it must first undergo a demographic transition. Economies which have sizeable cohorts of adolescents and youth can reap a substantial demographic dividend for national progress, resilience and sustainability. India accounts for 17.5 percent of total global population (5). With a youth population of 356 million, India alone has the world’s highest number of 10 to 24-year-olds—despite having a smaller population than China, which has 269 million young people. Despite this ardent calling for greater attention to young people in recent years, there is a dearth of research-based evidence that can inform policies and help framing apt strategic interventions rather than making untargeted action plans. In fact data in the youth sector is a mixed bag being both almost all-inclusive in some areas and almost completely absent in others. International research agencies (such as WHO, UNFPA and UNESCO) and Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation) maintain fairly comprehensive youth-specific statistics on health, education and employment indicators. However, in other areas like youth opinion, perception, participation and engagement there have been virtually no data or associated statistics. There is only scanty reliable and comparable data collected on youth participation and perception. This is despite the emphasis on youth participation and engagement. In recognition of the importance of the growing population of young people in India, several policies and programmes have been formulated since 2000 such as the National Youth Policy or the National Population Policy, however their implementation and effective translation in to interventions have been limited on account of a lack of understanding about the needs of the youth. Evidence based research and data is needed to make sure that the voices of youth remain an active part of the process of implementation of the policies and framing of the relevant interventions. Therefore Magic Bus foundation has conceptualized and conducted a pioneering systematic survey – named as Youth Barometer to ensure that the voices of youth remain an active part of the process of implementation. It is a part of a series of annual surveys with an objective to understand and monitor the changing concerns among 18 - 24 year old Indian youth. It aims to bridge the knowledge gap, inform and feed the agendas, policies and plans of government and other stakeholders through the well-researched findings and recommendations of the study. By hearing out the needs and aspirations of these youth through this survey, Magic Bus eventually attempts to give them access to opportunities that will break their cycle of deprivation, developing them into fully engaged and participative citizens of India through coordinated and synchronised efforts along with multi-strategic partners. The underlying belief which drives this study is that it is only when the nation actually hears the voice of youth will it take the appropriate action. Rightly put by Kofi Annan--Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies.

Food Insecurity and Obesity

Food insecurity is prevalent across the US and often coexists with obesity. It is important that the coexistence of food insecurity and obesity is well understood so that community outreach programs and interventions can continue to be implemented in order to improve food security by increasing access to affordable, healthy foods and promoting good health nationwide. This 4-page fact sheet discusses food insecurity, reduced access to healthy food options, the cycle of food excess and deprivation, SNAP, the WIC program, and child nutrition programs. Written by Rachel Savelle and LaToya J. O'Neal, and published by the UF Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, February 2017. ­ FCS3342/FY1473: Food Insecurity and Obesity (ufl.edu)

Stimulation of Deprivation Cycles with Spirulina platensis Feed Supplementation on Osphronemus gouramy Physiological Responses

<p><em>Spirulina platensis </em>is a phytoplankton, the cell wall composed of complex sugars so easily digested by fish<em>. </em>The present study was carried out to investigate stimulation cycle of feed deprivation with feed supplemented <em>S</em>.<em> platensis</em> the best to increase growth, hematological and body composition of gurami (<em>Osphronemus gouramy</em>). Groups of 24 fish, each in triplicate, were exposed to four different treatment for a period of 56 days. Sample measurements of growth done every 14 days, hematological and body composition measurements carried out at the end of the experiment. Growth was significantly different between stimulation cycle of feed deprivation and the control (P<0.05). Conclusions result showed that stimulation cycles of feed deprivation could not improve growth and hematological, but could improve body composition. Feed deprivation is done to reduce the cost of production, high production costs due to high feed prices. During research on feed deprivation is done by giving commercial feed, this study is to provide feed supplementation <em>S. platensis</em>. Thus, the results of this study can be useful for science as <em>S. platensis</em> information can be used as a food supplement and and for the people cultivating gurami should be fed daily supplementation of <em>S. platensis</em>.</p><p><strong>How to Cite</strong></p><p>Simanjuntak, S. B. I., Wibowo, E. S. & Indarmawan, I. (2016). Stimulation of Deprivation Cycles with Spirulina platensis Feed Supplementation on Osphronemus gouramy Physiological Responses. <em>Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education</em>, 8(3), 378-385. </p>

Reconstructing the Underclass

In late 2011, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government announced the launch of a new programme on ‘troubled families’ – a term used to describe the estimated 120,000 most behaviourally anti-social families in England and Wales. To many social scientists, this appeared to be yet another reconstruction of the broad ‘underclass’ concept that has run like a thread of analysis through UK poverty discourses over the last 150 years. The symbolic nature and coded meanings of this particular concept of poverty are very interesting, as is the way it has been reconstructed periodically. This paper summarises these reconstructions, and the analytical issues raised by them: the ‘residuum’ concept of the 1880–1914 period; the ‘social problem group’ of the inter-war years; the ‘problem family’ of the 1940s and 1950s; the ‘cycle of deprivation’ of the 1970s; and the ‘underclass’ of the 1980s and 1990s.

Hallucinations, loneliness, and social isolation in Alzheimer's disease

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Cognitive and functional compromise, as frequently observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD), hinders communication and social interactions. One consequence of this hindrance may be a feeling of loneliness. Moreover, emptiness and boredom, as observed in social isolation and loneliness, may thus be compensated for by creating imagined stimuli. Conditions of loneliness may be viewed as potentially generating hallucinatory experiences. To assess this assumption, the present study explored the relationship between social isolation, loneliness, and hallucinations in a sample of 22 mild AD participants and 24 elderly, healthy controls. Methods: Participants were assessed using the Launay–Slade Hallucination Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and a scale exploring contact with others and social participation. Results: More hallucinatory experiences, social isolation, and loneliness were found in the AD group than in the healthy control group. Moreover, significant correlations were observed between hallucinations and loneliness and between hallucinations and social isolation in both groups. Finally, hallucinations were predicted by social isolation. Discussion: Hallucinations may constitute a compensatory mechanism that aims to fulfil communication needs in lonely, elderly participants. Hallucinations may also be regarded as experiences that allow certain participants to escape the cycle of boredom, emptiness, and affective deprivation caused by social isolation.

<em>“All I Do is Win . . . No Matter What”: Low-Income, African American Single Mothers and their Collegiate Daughters’ Unrelenting Academic Achievement</em>

In 1965 Daniel Moynihan, on behalf of United States, declared single-mothered home the source of most of aberrant, inadequate, or anti-social behavior that . . . serves to perpetuate cycle of poverty and deprivation (p. 30) among African Americans. Damning family a matriarchy, Moynihan (1965) fueled charred minds of national constituents concerned with Negro woman's familial position and alleged dominance. Fifty years later, scholars extoll single-mothers as stalwart household leaders (Jones et al., 2007) fostering independence (Mandara, Varner, & Richman, 2010), resilience (Billingsley, 1974; Brodsky, 2000), and strength (Hill, 1999; Turnage, 2004), particularly among their daughters (J. W. Scott, 1993; K. Scott, 2003; Shook et al., 2010).While research exists unmasking African American single mothers, their likely trials, as well as their rearing 51% of African American children (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013), little research explains how these mothers instill academic excellence in their collegiate daughters. Without such an analysis we remain subject to superficial education policies and mis-educating African American children, which fosters a cyclical breeding ground for ineffective teaching practices, misunderstanding, and inequity. This article seeks to support recent research by exploring heretofore hidden affair between single-mothers' parenting acts and their daughter's unrelenting academic achievement. Essentially, this inquiry ascertains collegeenrolled daughters' interpretations of their African American single mother's parenting acts, and how they win despite confounding circumstances.BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHTHistorically, society has suppressed Black woman's notion of truth due to its lacking an association with a conceptually validated epistemological premise. Black Feminist Thought (Hill Collins, 1989) validates Black woman's lived experiences as unique, distinct, and knowledge-based, despite their incongruence with mainstream White masculine thought. Furthermore, Black Feminist Thought seeks to discredit dominant group metanarrative by rearticulating and validating view and interpretations of world through Black woman's culture and traditions. Theories are based on interests and cultural perceptions of its creator (Hill Collins, 1989); therefore, need for Black female scholars to research and interpret experiences of Black women. Such is framework from which this inquiry is based.THE LITERATUREAfrican American Single-MotherhoodAfrican American families encompass an estimated 9,808,000 households across nation, 37% of which are led by single mothers raising their own children (U. S. Census Bureau, 2013). Between 2010-2011 single African American women gave birth at rates twice as high as their married peers (U. S. Census, 2012), resulting in over 51% of these 11,086,000 children residing in single-mothered households (U. S. Census Bureau, 2013). These mothers, averaging 38.4 years of age (U. S. Census Bureau, 2013), unquestionably bear brunt of raising African American progeny.More than 49% of African American daughters are raised by their single mother (U. S. Census Bureau, 2013). Scholars declare mother-daughter relationship is one of strongest, closest, and most impactful in human relationships-greatly influencing daughter's self-esteem, autonomy, abstention from illicit substances and sex, family loyalty, and marriage among other factors (De La Rosa et al., 2010; Gilford & Reynolds, 2011; Merten & Henry, 2011; Morris, 2007; Townsend, 2008). Single African American mothers are noted for differentially socializing their sons and daughters, resulting in varying degrees of maturity. While sons are encouraged to exemplify egalitarianism, and permitted to embrace their household freedom, daughters assume increased household responsibilities, hold higher educational expectations, and endure abridged freedom (Mandara, Varner, & Richman, 2010). …