Background: Maternity leave, whether paid or unpaid, is a critical resource that can significantly impact maternal well-being and newborn outcomes. However, its availability and utilization among mothers living in poverty remain understudied. Education is widely recognized as a key factor that increases access to both paid and unpaid leave. However, the theory of Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) posits that structural racism, segregation, and labor market discrimination limit the benefits of socioeconomic resources, such as education, for Black and Latino individuals. This suggests that the effects of education on maternity leave may not be uniform across racial and ethnic groups. Objective: This study aimed to examine the MDRs of education on access to unpaid and paid maternity leave among Black and Latino mothers compared to White mothers giving birth while living in poverty. Methods: We utilized baseline data from the Baby’s First Years Study (BFY), a longitudinal investigation of the effects of poverty on child development. The sample consisted of 1,050 mothers living in poverty who had recently given birth. Maternity leave (paid and unpaid) was assessed via self-report, and educational attainment was measured in years of schooling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and interaction terms were employed to analyze racial and ethnic differences in the relationship between education and access to maternity leave. Results: Educational attainment was positively associated with access to unpaid maternity leave for the overall sample of mothers giving birth in poverty, but this association was weaker for Black and Latino mothers compared to non-Latino White mothers. Education did not significantly increase the likelihood of paid maternity leave, and there were no group differences for this association. Conclusion: This study highlights the urgent needs to address structural racism, labor market discrimination, and residential segregation that diminish the impact of education on living conditions for Black and Latino mothers, compared to non-Latino White mothers, even for those living under poverty. Policymakers and practitioners should develop targeted interventions to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in access to paid and unpaid maternity leave and other critical resources, particularly for new mothers living in poverty. Addressing these inequities is essential for improving maternal and newborn health outcomes and promoting social justice.

Background: Financial well-being is a key domain of overall well-being, encompassing an individual's ability to meet financial obligations, secure their financial future, and maintain a sense of financial freedom. Education is often viewed as a critical pathway to enhancing financial well-being. However, the returns of education on financial well-being are not uniform across racial, ethnic, and nativity groups. The theory of Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggests that the positive effects of education on outcomes such as income and financial security are weaker for marginalized groups, including Black individuals, Latinos, and immigrants. Objective: This study examines the diminished returns of education on financial well-being among Black, Latino, and immigrant populations in the United States. We aim to investigate how structural inequalities contribute to weaker financial returns on education for these groups compared to their White and native-born counterparts. Methods: We utilized data from the Understanding America Study (UAS 2014) to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of adult respondents. The study assessed financial well-being outcomes (e.g., income, savings, and financial security) and their association with educational attainment across racial, ethnic, and nativity groups. Regression models were employed to test for interaction effects between education and race/ethnicity/nativity, adjusting for sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, employment, and family structure. Results: Our analysis included 8,121 individuals. The mean age of the respondents was 48 years (SD = 16). High education was associated with higher financial well-being (B = 1.284, 95% CI: 1.157, 1.410). The interaction terms between education and immigrant status (B = -0.507, 95% CI: -0.930, -0.084), race (Black) (B = -0.770, 95% CI: -1.208, -0.331), and ethnicity (Hispanic) (B = -0.589, 95% CI: -0.969, -0.210) were all significant, suggesting that immigrant, Black, and Hispanic individuals experience diminished returns on education in terms of financial well-being, relative to US-born non-Hispanic White individuals. The significant negative interactions between education and minority statuses (Black, Hispanic, and immigrant) indicate that while education generally improves financial well-being, the magnitude of this improvement is substantially smaller for these marginalized groups. Conclusion: Understanding how education translates to financial well-being across different racial, ethnic, and nativity groups is critical for addressing persistent financial disparities.

Foods rich in phytochemicals are well recognized for their role in the prevention of chronic disease development, in addition to fulfilling the nutrient requirements. However, different processing methods employed during preparation may affect their levels and functionality as they are sensitive to different processing parameters such as temperature and light. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three common processing methods; boiling, fermentation, and drying (sun and solar drying, with and without blanching), on total phenolic content and total flavonoid content in cassava (Manhot esculenta Crantz), black jack (Bidens pilosa) and bitter lettuce leaves (Launaea cornuta) grown in Mkuranga District in the Eastern part of Tanzania. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were analyzed by using the spectrophotometric method with the use of Folin-Ciocalteu and Aluminum Chloride reagents, respectively. Total phenolic content ranged from 0.9±0.14 to 85.7 ± 0.56 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/100g and flavonoids ranged from 0.03±0.00 to 3.9±0.03 mg/100g across the treatments. Both parameters were adversely affected by fermentation and boiling, while solar and sun drying only reduced the flavonoid content. Results showed that direct solar and sun drying appear to be effective processing methods, for the retention and maintenance of total phenolic content in all samples while, none proved to be effective for flavonoid content.

The paper considers a specific type of such financial instrument as an option, namely an exotic barrier call option of the European type. Exotic options are gaining popularity among ordinary investors due to the development of information and telecommunication technologies, thanks to which such specific financial instruments as options have become readily available. We investigate the hedging problem for such options with some restrictions on the payment function and the availability of dividend payment on a risky asset in the classical Black-Scholes model. An analogue of the Black-Scholes formula for the mentioned variant of the exotic barrier is proved. In the future, it is planned to generalize the obtained results for put options and for more general payment functions.