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Most researchers examining educational disparities in unintended pregnancy take a rational-choice perspective, defining pregnancy intention as a fixed state within decontextualized individuals. However, evidence suggests that women’s reproductive intentions may be more relational than rational, and that relationship context varies by education. This study investigated if relationship context could explain educational disparities in unintended pregnancy.

Using the 2006–2015 National Survey of Family Growth (n = 4,320 pregnancies), I calculated structural equation models and predicted probabilities to examine if relational stability (marital status) and partner specificity (wanting a baby with a particular man) mediated the association between education and pregnancy intendedness for White, Hispanic, and Black women.

Relational stability and partner specificity mediated the association between education and pregnancy intention for all three groups. Education was rendered insignificant after controlling for race, marital status, partner specificity, and age. Marital status was a better predictor for White women than Hispanic women, and was not statistically significant for Black women. Partner specificity had greater influence on pregnancy intendedness than marital status, and its effect varied only slightly by race. Thus, disparities in marriage and access to desired partners influence educational disparities in unintended pregnancy.

These findings suggest that partner specificity could prove particularly useful in predicting unintended pregnancy as rates of non-marital pregnancies continue to rise. They also indicate that a shift in research and policy focus from decontextualized individuals to relationships between women and men is warranted.

Data from the National Survey of Family Growth suggest that poor women and women of color are more likely than privileged women to use long-lasting contraception such as sterilization, intrauterine devices (IUD), and Depo Provera. This disparity is noteworthy because long-lasting methods can and have been used coercively. To analyze this disparity, I constructed multivariate binary logistic regression models for female sterilization, IUD, and Depo Provera using the most recent National Survey of Family Growth available (Cycle 6, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in 2002). I examined the effect of both personal factors, including age, parity, and number of marriages, and social factors, including education and health coverage. Personal factors were strong predictors but could not explain racial and economic disparities that exist among contraceptive users. This analysis found that education and health coverage were also important variables. Even controlling for personal factors, women with less education were more likely to be sterilized or use Depo Provera than women with a bachelor's degree or more. Women covered by Medicaid or public, government, or military coverage were more likely to use Depo Provera than women with private insurance. Women covered by Medicaid were also more likely to be sterilized since 2000. And uninsured women were more likely to use an IUD than women with private health insurance. However, none of the independent variables completely erased the effect of race and income, suggesting further research is necessary to understand the disparity in use of long-lasting contraceptives.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the frequency-dependent non-linear magnetization behaviour of the soft magnetic material, which influences both the energy loss and the performance of the electrical machine. The applied approach is based on measured material characteristics for various frequencies and magnetic flux densities. These are varied during the simulation according to the operational conditions of the rotating electrical machine. Therewith, the fault being committed neglecting the frequency-dependent magnetization behaviour of the magnetic material is examined in detail.

The influence of non-linear frequency-dependent material properties is studied by variation of the frequency-dependent magnetization characteristics. Two different non-oriented electrical steel grades having the same nominal losses at 1.5 T and 50 Hz, but different thickness, classified as M330-35A and M330-50A are studied in detail. Both have slightly different magnetization and loss behaviour.

This analysis corroborates that it is important to consider the frequency-dependency and saturation behaviour of the ferromagnetic material as well as its magnetic utilization when simulating electrical machines, i.e., its performance. The necessity to change the magnetization curve according to the applied frequency for the calculation of operating points depends on the applied material and the frequency range. Using materials, whose magnetization behaviour is marginally affected by frequency, causes a deviation in the flux-linkage and the electromagnetic torque in a small frequency range. However, analysing larger frequency ranges, the frequency behaviour of the material cannot be neglected. For instance, a poorer magnetizability requires a higher quadrature current to keep the same torque leading to increased copper losses. In addition, the applied iron-loss model plays a central role, since changes in magnetization behaviour with frequency lead to changes in the iron losses. In order to study the impact, the iron-loss model has to be capable to incorporate the harmonic content, because particularly the field harmonics are influenced by the shape of the magnetization curve.

This paper gives a close insight on the way the frequency-dependent non-linear magnetization behaviour affects the energy loss and the performance of electrical machines. Therewith measures to tackle this could be derived.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Chinese immigrant businesses in Australia were able to shift from low return start-up businesses and move to more competitive business models targeting mainstream clientele. The research aims to identify the factors enabling a break-out strategy for these entrepreneurs and whether a horizontal or vertical break-out was achieved.

A qualitative research method with in-depth interviews is employed. Interviews were conducted with 55 Chinese immigrant business owners in Sydney and Canberra.

The analysis found that a break-out strategy depended on a range of business activities, including innovation, marketing, networking and personnel strategies. Importantly, the current research found that these resources have varying degrees of importance in the different stages of the transition to the new business model. Accumulating sufficient financial capital was a fundamental enabler for a break-out strategy, followed by the capacity to learn and benefit from the experience of social networks.

The current research highlights the importance of financial capital and capacity to benefit from social networks as fundamental factors in enabling a break-out strategy. The benefit of the qualitative approach in obtaining rich data needs to be offset by potential limitations on generalisability. Future research could incorporate comparison between different size businesses as well as analysing factors underpinning a failure to successfully implement a break-out.

The findings indicate that business support groups and policymakers could review access to financial capital for entrepreneurs seeking break-outs, consider improving opportunities for developing capacity to utilise heterogeneous social networks, and consider pathways for improving skills acquisition amongst immigrant entrepreneurs.

This paper contributes to the research literature on break-out strategies used by immigrant entrepreneurs by analysing, in detail, the transition steps undertaken by ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs in the shift to more competitive business models.