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The current study examined whether young children's executive functions and emotionality are related to childcare experiences and whether they work as mediators explaining the associations between childcare experiences and early school outcomes. Findings from a national sample of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 990) revealed that centre-based care experiences and childcare quality positively predicted preschool children's executive functions, which then were linked to their academic skills and social skills in preschool and kindergarten years. Childcare hours were negatively related to executive functions. Further, childcare experiences did not predict children's emotionality, which was related to their social skills. Overall, childcare experiences, of higher quality, more structure and less hours, were modelled as predicting early school outcomes directly as well as indirectly through executive functioning.

The relationships between early maternal social support, maternal psychological well-being, the home learning environment, and children's language skills at age 3 in Korean families were examined. We hypothesized that maternal social support would predict children's language development through its effect on maternal psychological well-being and the home learning environment. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the conceptual model, using data collected from 1,725 Korean families who participated in the Panel Study of Korean Children. Mothers' early social support predicted children's language skills via 2 indirect paths. First, greater social support predicted more positively adjusted psychological well-being; maternal psychological well-being was significantly associated with the quality of the home learning environment, which in turn predicted the positive development of language skills in children. Second, greater social support predicted a better home learning environment; again, the home learning environment positively predicted children's linguistic development. The direct paths from social support to language development were not significant. Social support during the child's infancy was observed to be beneficial for stimulating the home learning environment later. A comparison between working mothers versus nonworking mothers yielded no significant differences in the relationships between the variables. The results shed light on the importance of sensitive measures of social support in order to better understand its beneficial effects on mothers and young children.

We examine the effects of 10 welfare and employment programs on single mothers' use of Head Start for their 3- to 4-year-old children, considering concurrent program effects on employment, income, and the use of other types of childcare settings. In general, these welfare and employment experiments increased parental employment and the use of center-and home-based childcare, but decreased families' use of Head Start. The findings suggest that two types of policies affecting low-income families--welfare and employment on the one hand, and early childhood intervention on the other--are operating independently, and may actually conflict. Policy-induced increases in maternal employment generated an increased need for childcare; however, mothers did not appear to use Head Start to meet this need, instead increasing their use of other types of care arrangements. The part-day, part-year structure of Head Start at the time of these programs and issues of eligibility are discussed as potential barriers to the use of Head Start among low-income families under a welfare system that requires parents to work.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect relationships among economic hardship, economic strain, emotional stress, and couple conflict for married Koreans during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In particular, we investigated whether these pathways were different between lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Background: Due to the global economic downturn brought on by COVID‐19, many couples experienced economic hardship including increased household debt, job loss, and reduced work hours. This context provides a valuable opportunity to test the family stress model (FSM) of romantic relationships, which explains the indirect pathways from economic hardship to couple‐level outcomes. Method: We collected the data using an online survey in May 2020, when the Seoul metropolitan area experienced the first surge of COVID‐19 cases. The sample came from 605 married Korean adults (282 women, 323 men) and was analyzed using multigroup path analysis. Results: Among the three markers of economic hardship, increased household debt had a stronger association with couple conflict for lower SES respondents directly and indirectly through elevated economic strain and emotional distress. The total effects of job loss and reduced work hours on more frequent couple conflict were stronger for the higher SES group. Conclusion: The process from the three markers of economic hardship to couple conflict was different depending on socioeconomic resources. Implications: Family practitioners need to consider SES variations and to work with financial counselors to better support couples with both economic and relationship difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Draws on data from three demonstration studies to examine predictors of low-income parents' child care use, child care problems, and public subsidy receipt. Finds that the best predictors of center-based care use were ages and number of children, parents' education, and personal beliefs about family and work. Race and ethnicity effects were inconsistent. Subsidies were most effective in reaching parents with relatively less consistent prior employment experience. (Author/KB)

Abstract: The current study examined whether young children's executive functions and emotionality are related to childcare experiences and whether they work as mediators explaining the associations between childcare experiences and early school outcomes. Findings from a national sample of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 990) revealed that centre‐based care experiences and childcare quality positively predicted preschool children's executive functions, which then were linked to their academic skills and social skills in preschool and kindergarten years. Childcare hours were negatively related to executive functions. Further, childcare experiences did not predict children's emotionality, which was related to their social skills. Overall, childcare experiences, of higher quality, more structure and less hours, were modelled as predicting early school outcomes directly as well as indirectly through executive functioning. Highlights: A mediated model of childcare experiences and early school outcomes through executive functions and emotionality is proposed. SEM analysis revealed that high‐quality, center‐type, and non‐excessive care experiences predicted executive functions, which then predicted academic and social outcomes, None of the childcare characteristics predicted emotionality while emotionality predicted social outcomes. Executive functions can be stimulated by high‐quality, structured care experiences and need to be a target of early learning and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between early maternal social support, maternal psychological well-being, the home learning environment, and children's language skills at age 3 in Korean families were examined. We hypothesized that maternal social support would predict children's language development through its effect on maternal psychological well-being and the home learning environment. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the conceptual model, using data collected from 1,725 Korean families who participated in the Panel Study of Korean Children. Mothers' early social support predicted children's language skills via 2 indirect paths. First, greater social support predicted more positively adjusted psychological well-being; maternal psychological well-being was significantly associated with the quality of the home learning environment, which in turn predicted the positive development of language skills in children. Second, greater social support predicted a better home learning environment; again, the home learning environment positively predicted children's linguistic development. The direct paths from social support to language development were not significant. Social support during the child's infancy was observed to be beneficial for stimulating the home learning environment later. A comparison between working mothers versus nonworking mothers yielded no significant differences in the relationships between the variables. The results shed light on the importance of sensitive measures of social support in order to better understand its beneficial effects on mothers and young children. Highlights The relationships between early maternal social support, maternal psychological well-being, the home learning environment, and children's language skills at age 3 in Korean families were examined., Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the conceptual model, using data collected from 1,725 Korean families who participated in the Panel Study of Korean Children., Greater social support predicted more positively adjusted psychological well-being; maternal psychological well-being was significantly associated with the quality of the home learning environment, which in turn predicted the positive development of language skills in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Close packed arrays of hollow SnO2hemispheres were prepared using PMMA microspheres as sacrificial templates for subsequent sputter-deposition of SnO2films, leading to a threefold enhancement in gas sensitivity compared to non-templated (flat) films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect relationships among economic hardship, economic strain, emotional stress, and couple conflict for married Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we investigated whether these pathways were different between lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups., Background: Due to the global economic downturn brought on by COVID-19, many couples experienced economic hardship including increased household debt, job loss, and reduced work hours. This context provides a valuable opportunity to test the family stress model (FSM) of romantic relationships, which explains the indirect pathways from economic hardship to couple-level outcomes., Method: We collected the data using an online survey in May 2020, when the Seoul metropolitan area experienced the first surge of COVID-19 cases. The sample came from 605 married Korean adults (282 women, 323 men) and was analyzed using multigroup path analysis., Results: Among the three markers of economic hardship, increased household debt had a stronger association with couple conflict for lower SES respondents directly and indirectly through elevated economic strain and emotional distress. The total effects of job loss and reduced work hours on more frequent couple conflict were stronger for the higher SES group., Conclusion: The process from the three markers of economic hardship to couple conflict was different depending on socioeconomic resources., Implications: Family practitioners need to consider SES variations and to work with financial counselors to better support couples with both economic and relationship difficulties., (© 2022 The Authors. Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.)

Objective: To investigate the association between serum vitamin D levels, sensitization to food allergens, and the severity of atopic dermatitis in infants., Study Design: We investigated serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and specific immunoglobulin E levels to common or suspected food allergens in 226 infants with atopic dermatitis or food allergy. The severity of atopic dermatitis by the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index and amount of vitamin D intake was measured in subcohort children. Sensitization to food allergen was categorized by the number (non-, mono-, and poly-) of sensitized allergens and the degree (undetected-, low-, and high-level) of sensitization., Results: Significant differences in 25(OH)D levels were found between groups on number (P = .006) and degree (P = .005) of food sensitization. The polysensitization group had significantly lower levels of 25(OH)D than the nonsensitization (P = .001) and monosensitization (P = .023) group. High-level sensitization group had significantly lower 25(OH)D levels compared with undetected (P = .005) and low-level (P = .009) sensitization group. Vitamin D deficiency increased the risk of sensitization to food allergens (OR 5.0; 95% CI 1.8-14.1), especially to milk (OR 10.4; 95% CI 3.3-32.7) and wheat (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.1-15.8). In addition, the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index was independently related to 25(OH)D levels after adjusting for the level of sensitization (adjusted R(2) = 0.112, P = .031)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of sensitization to food allergens and that atopic dermatitis may be more severe in infants with vitamin D deficiency., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the influence of chlorhexidine with different application methods on the microtensile bond strength (microTBS) to dentin in Class I cavities., Methods: Flat dentinal surfaces with Class I cavities (4 mm long, 4 mm wide, 2 mm deep) in 50 molars were bonded with Adper Single Bond 2 etch-and-rinse adhesive system after: 1) Chlorhexidine (CHX) + rinsing + etching; 2) CHX + no rinsing + etching; 3) Etching + CHX + rinsing; 4) Etching + CHX + no rinsing; 5) Etching only as a control group. Resin composite buildups were constructed with Z-350 (3M ESPE) using a bulk method and they were polymerized for 40 seconds. For each condition, half of the specimens were immediately submitted to microtensile bond strength and half of the same group was submitted to 10,000 cycles of thermocycling between 5 degrees C and 55 degrees C before testing. The data were analyzed using the two-way ANOVA and Student t-test at a 95% significance level., Results: Chlorhexidine pretreatment did not affect the bond strength of specimens tested at the immediate testing period, regardless of the application method used, compared to the control group. However, after 10,000 thermocycles, a significant bond strength reduction was found in the control group. In general, the chlorhexidine application method did not demonstrate a significant difference among the groups treated with chlorhexidine. However, there was a significant difference after thermocycling in the groups treated with chlorhexidine before etching and no significant difference in the groups treated with chlorhexidine after etching., Conclusion: Considering the amount of reduction in bond strength after thermocycling, the current study showed improved dentin bond strength with chlorhexidine when used after etching.