Researchers of social development during infancy have long viewed social competence as a reflection of the infant's experiences during early social interactions. In this context of social interaction, the infant's earliest developmental task involves the ability to regulate arousal; with continued development and the accumulation of interactional experiences, the infant takes a more active role as an initiator/elicitor of interaction. A particularly salient type of social exchange during infancy occurs when mother and infant engage in face-to-face interaction. Consequently, it was the goal of this study to examine maternal and infant behavior in the context of face-to-face interaction in order to: 1) identify those maternal behaviors that promote the infant's capacity to regulate arousal and subsequently act as a competent interactive partner; and 2) examine the extent to which early social development proceeds in a continuous manner. Thirty-one infant-mother dyads were videotaped in two 3-minute episodes of face-to-face interaction at 1 and 4 months. The first episode involved spontaneous face-to-face interaction; the second episode involved an attention-getting manipulation of maternal behavior. Maternal and infant interactive behaviors were coded for each episode at both ages. No significant differences were found in maternal or infant behavior across episodes, thus allowing for the data to be pooled. Significant findings regarding maternal behavior included the following: maternal interactive behavior was found to remain stable across time at the individual and normative levels; maternal behavior was positively associated with infant behavior at both ages; and maternal silence during infant gaze aversion was predictive of infant regulation of arousal. Conversely, infant behavior did not remain stable across time, at either the individual or normative level, thus suggesting that infants are changing. A most revealing association was discovered between 1-month maternal physical activity and 4-month infant regulation of arousal, suggesting that maternal behavior may have long-range effects on infant social competence. Consequently, from these findings, it has been suggested that maternal intrusive behaviors (e.g., physical activity, silence during infant gaze aversion) are focal in infant regulation of arousal and subsequent interactive competence.

Human adult stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow stroma (MSCs) modultate stem and progenitor cells in the central nervous system. Human MSCs were grown with rat neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. Direct coculture of the cells stimulated astrocyte and oligodendrocyte differentiation whereas MSC conditioned medium promoted only the oligodendroglial fate. Microarray analysis was used to survey changes in the transcriptomes of both cell types. NSCs grown in direct coculture with MSCs up-regulated transcripts associated with glial development. NSCs and MSCs up-regulated genes for signaling factors and component proteins in TGFb and Notch signaling pathways. NSCs expressed TGFb receptor 1, and coculture with MSCs increased TGFb secretion by MSCs. Blocking TGFb receptor 1 signaling attenuated the increase in glial differentiation. NSCs and MSCs express Notch ligands and receptors. Coculture increased Notch signaling and downstream transcription factors that drive astrocyte determination in NSCs. Blocking TGFb receptor 1 signaling attenuated the increase in Notch signaling in NSCs. MSCs also modulate rat oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in vitro and in an animal model of demyelination. MSCs injected into the rodent brain induced with a demyelinated lesion migrated toward the lesion and spared myelin loss. Surrounding the lesion MSCs reduced reactive astrocyte activation and stimulated proliferation and maturation of resident OPCs. In vitro MSC conditioned medium increased proliferation of immature OPCs whereas direct coculture additionally stimulated their maturation. Microarray analysis indicated OPCs grown in direct coculture up-regulated transcripts for mature oligodendrocyte proteins, and both cell types up-regulated genes for secreted factors and component proteins in signaling pathways. In vitro and in the demyelinated brain, MSCs secreted TGFb3 and OPCs expressed TGFb receptor 1. OPCs secreted IGF2 in vitro and coculture with MSCs increased IGF2 production. MSCs injection into the demyelinated brain increased IGF2 production by endogenous cells including OPCs. Coculture with MSCs stimulated OPC maturation and blocking IGF2 signaling attenuated the effect / acase@tulane.edu

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<p>This study examines the effect on school achievement of a policy such as hostels, aimed at</p><p>giving children from a poor socioeconomic background an opportunity to receive education.</p><p>Data is collected from two different schools in a district in Andhra Pradesh, India, in which</p><p>both hostel students and day-scholar students, having a similar background, are studying.</p><p>Exam scores for three different subjects are used as dependent variables in the analysis. The</p><p>results indicate that private hostels do have a positive effect on achievement in all subjects,</p><p>thereby contributing to reducing the large gap in school achievement between different</p><p>socioeconomic groups</p>

This study examines the effect on school achievement of a policy such as hostels, aimed at giving children from a poor socioeconomic background an opportunity to receive education. Data is collected from two different schools in a district in Andhra Pradesh, India, in which both hostel students and day-scholar students, having a similar background, are studying. Exam scores for three different subjects are used as dependent variables in the analysis. The results indicate that private hostels do have a positive effect on achievement in all subjects, thereby contributing to reducing the large gap in school achievement between different socioeconomic groups

This thesis is an examination of the concept of human development and does a comparative study of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Sen rectifies the emphasis on income by welfare economics, and argues for the ‘equality of capability’; a goal that he says can be achieved by means of the intrinsic and instrumental role of democracy. However, the author notes that Sen’s development paradigm is inadequate as an account for what constitutes the kind of well-being that is fully human and asserts that Sen’s framework should be concretized politically. In view of this, the author argues that Nussbaum’s articulation of a ‘threshold of capabilities’, anchored on her reading Aristotle’s concept of human flourishing and Marx’s insight on human dignity, is a politically realistic human development framework. Nussbaum thinks that the essential human capabilities are entitlements that must be constitutionally guaranteed to ensure a decent and dignified human life for all. As a response to the reality of pluralism, Nussbaum says that the universality of these entitlements can be secured by means of an overlapping consensus. Furthermore, the extreme poverty in many nations which exposes women and children to much vulnerability has provoked the author to inquire about the applicability of Nussbaum’s framework to the global arena. As such, the thesis argues for the radical expansion of the Human Development Index used by the United Nations Development Program in measuring the quality of human life, notably the inclusion of political liberties and gender equality. In addition to this, the study puts forward the argument that global human development is best achieved through democracy, and asserts that global institutions have a moral duty to protect and promote the central human capabilities.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between Foreign Direct Investments and the standard of living in terms of the Human Development Index in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa. The theory of economic growth is based on Solow. For the region of Sub-Saharan Africa, Foreign Direct Investments ought to be of great importance to finance the investments needed to achieve economic growth according to Solow. The reason for this is that the region of Sub-Saharan Africa lacks the ability to finance these investments with its own savings. The focus of the report is the Foreign Direct Investments; although the variable shows no significant correlation to the Human Development Index, there is a significant positive correlation between Foreign Direct Investments and health expenditure as a percentage of total government expenditure, one of the driving forces behind an improved Human Development Index.

The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development is expected to result in the launching of a process to devise a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2015. Whilst indicators are perceived to be a good vehicle of monitoring progress, currently there is no universally agreed method of measuring sustainable development. This thesis addresses this issue through assessing whether the capabilities approach can be adopted for a global framework in measuring sustainable development. In order to determine this, both theoretical and practical implications will have to be understood. The former is addressed through reviewing the compatibility between the key concepts of sustainable development and the capabilities approach. The latter is addressed through obtaining empirical evidence on the key drivers in selecting indicators via focus group discussions and a quantitative survey with key individuals involved in the Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) project in Malaysia. It was found that a weak conceptual basis can be attributed as the major challenge for establishing global sustainable development indicators. Whilst recognising that a range of mechanisms are required for operationalization, it was concluded that the capabilities approach provides a sound conceptual basis, framed on the basis of justice and equity in expanding and sustaining the capabilities of current and future generations to pursue their needs.

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<p>This thesis is an examination of the concept of human development and does a comparative study of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Sen rectifies the emphasis on income by welfare economics, and argues for the ‘equality of capability’; a goal that he says can be achieved by means of the intrinsic and instrumental role of democracy. However, the author notes that Sen’s development paradigm is inadequate as an account for what constitutes the kind of well-being that is fully human and asserts that Sen’s framework should be concretized politically. In view of this, the author argues that Nussbaum’s articulation of a ‘threshold of capabilities’, anchored on her reading Aristotle’s concept of human flourishing and Marx’s insight on human dignity, is a politically realistic human development framework. Nussbaum thinks that the essential human capabilities are entitlements that must be constitutionally guaranteed to ensure a decent and dignified human life for all. As a response to the reality of pluralism, Nussbaum says that the universality of these entitlements can be secured by means of an overlapping consensus. Furthermore, the extreme poverty in many nations which exposes women and children to much vulnerability has provoked the author to inquire about the applicability of Nussbaum’s framework to the global arena. As such, the thesis argues for the radical expansion of the Human Development Index used by the United Nations Development Program in measuring the quality of human life, notably the inclusion of political liberties and gender equality. In addition to this, the study puts forward the argument that global human development is best achieved through democracy, and asserts that global institutions have a moral duty to protect and promote the central human capabilities.</p>