Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Diderich describes tools and techniques, which can be used to develop quantitative models for actively managing investment products, and focuses on how theoretical models can and should be used in practice. He describes the interaction between different elements of an investment process's value chain in a single and consistent framework. A key focus is placed on illustrating the theory with real world examples. At the end of the book the reader will be capable of designing or enhancing an investment process for an investment or portfolio managers products from start to finish. * Increased pressure to add value through investments makes this a hot topic in the investment world * Combined theoretical and practical approach makes this book appealing to a wide audience of quants and investors * The only book to show how to design and implement quantitative models for gaining positive alpha

As seen in Time, USA TODAY, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and on CBS This Morning, BBC, PBS, CNN, and NPR, iGen is crucial reading to understand how the children, teens, and young adults born in the mid-1990s and later are vastly different from their Millennial predecessors, and from any other generation. With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s up to the mid-2000s, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person—perhaps contributing to their unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. With the first members of iGen just graduating from college, we all need to understand them: friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation—and the world.

Here is a complete blueprint for managing and leading the millennial generation. As we continue to take over the workforce, leaders should begin to understand what makes millennials tick and why we are so different than any other generation to come before and after. Why are millennials called lazy or entitled? What motivated millennials? How has social media transformed our way of thinking? Millennial Influence covers all of the questions and more while offering the reader some history and actionable strategies to enable them to understand better and guide millennials. For millennials looking to increase their influence, there is information on how millennial can better communicate, relate, and interact with other generations to increase work productivity. Millennial Influence is an excellent book for a light Sunday or lunch break read. "As the first book in this series, my focus was on providing insight that both millennials and other generations could use, today," says D'Vaughn Bell. He explains how his motivation for the book stems from "not spending a minute in college" and his thirst for entrepreneurship. "Entrepreneurship grants us more failures than any job ever will. This ideology is why entrepreneurs make for better business coaches and consultants. I want my book to inspire anyone looking to start a business or exceed on the corporate ladder. I may not have the experience of working directly 'for' but have worked directly 'with' many companies of all sizes." Aside from being the first generation of digital influencers, millennials are tech-savvy, constructive feedback thirsty little machines. Once business leaders and managers can grasp this concept, they can craft dominating workforces of a success-driven generation. There's a common misconception that millennials are lazy. "We're not lazy, we're just more aware of what is possible and aren't settling for social security, pension, 401K, a wide, dog, and a white picket fence." Grab your digital copy of Millennial Influence and leverage a proven way to manage, lead, and work with the different generations in the workplace.

Noted researcher Dr. Twenge uses 14 years of research and its data from 1.3 million respondents to reveal how profoundly different today's young adults are from previous generations, and makes controversial predictions about what the future holds.

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER A programmer, musician, and father of virtual reality technology, Jaron Lanier was a pioneer in digital media, and among the first to predict the revolutionary changes it would bring to our commerce and culture. Now, with the Web influencing virtually every aspect of our lives, he offers this provocative critique of how digital design is shaping society, for better and for worse. Informed by Lanier’s experience and expertise as a computer scientist, You Are Not a Gadget discusses the technical and cultural problems that have unwittingly risen from programming choices—such as the nature of user identity—that were “locked-in” at the birth of digital media and considers what a future based on current design philosophies will bring. With the proliferation of social networks, cloud-based data storage systems, and Web 2.0 designs that elevate the “wisdom” of mobs and computer algorithms over the intelligence and wisdom of individuals, his message has never been more urgent.

After the IPS2 conferences in Cranfield and Linköping in 2009 and 2010 the 3rd CIRP International Conference on Industrial Product Service Systems (IPS2) 2011 takes place in Braunschweig, Germany. IPS2 itself is defined as “an integrated industrial product and service offering that delivers value in use”. The customers expect comprehensive solutions, which are adapted to their individual needs. IPS2 offers the possibility to stand out from competition and for long-term customer loyalty. Particularly in times of economic crisis it becomes apparent which producing companies understand to satisfy the needs and requirements of their customers. Especially in this relatively new domain IPS2 it will be important to keep track of the whole context and to seek cooperation with other research fields and disciplines. The 3rd CIRP International Conference on Industrial Product Service Systems (IPS2) 2011 serves as a platform for such collaborations and the discussion of new scientific ideas.

Have you ever felt alone or abandoned? Have you ever been lost? Have you been searching for something more but have been unable to find it? There is hope. It comes in the form of a man. A man who died so that you could be forgiven and know him. His name is Jesus and he paid the ultimate price for you. He came on this earth to live the perfect life as a human. He was beaten and crucified on a cross for us. Three days later he arose and conquered death. He made it possible for you and me to be with him. He made a way for us to know him and to receive the free gift of eternal life. He gave us a choice out of freewill. In this composition of short stories I hope to show you his great love and sacrifice. Each story is special and has its own unique message.