Efficacy of parent training for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder : a therapeutic component analysis

"Despite prior research indicating Parent Training (PT) is an efficacious treatment for children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), few conclusions can be made about the efficacy given the inconsistent manner in which PT programs have been implemented. Also remaining unclear is whether reported clinical improvements are due to altered parenting styles or other factors targeted by PT programs. In response to this situation, the current study conducted a therapeutic component analysis to determine whether a complete PT program, which included contingency management and AD/HD counseling (Anastopoulos & Barkley, 1990), was superior to a didactic-attention control (D-AC) group, which only taught AD/HD counseling. A total of 126 clinic-referred children with ADHD, between 6 and 11 years of age, and their parent(s) participated. Although increases in knowledge of AD/HD and contingency management were reported as predicted, differences in treatment effectiveness across the two groups did not emerge as anticipated; both groups experienced improvements related to child, parent, and family functioning. However, treatment-related group differences were evident with respect to child emotional functioning suggesting PT was superior to the D-AC group. These findings were examined in terms of their clinical significance using methodology by Jacobson and Truax (1991). Findings indicate that treatment aimed at increasing knowledge of AD/HD, which is rarely integrated into behavioral treatments, may enhance existing treatments."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

Informant gender differences in parental reports of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder behavior in boys and girls

Childhood AD/HD assessments rely almost exclusively on maternal report of children's behavior, thereby leaving open the possibility that fathers might report AD/HD behaviors differently. Despite this possibility, true comparisons of mothers' and fathers' reports are difficult to ascertain given that commonly used assessment procedures were developed primarily from mothers' reports and the parent, child, and family variables that may contribute to differences in reporting are often not taken into account. In response to these concerns, the current study explored mothers' and fathers' ratings of children displaying AD/HD behaviors. In the first phase of the study, two videos, one of a boy and one of a girl displaying comparable AD/HD and normative behavior, were developed and standardized. In the second phase, 50 mother-father dyads of children with behavioral problems rated the videos. Primary analyses did not support the first hypothesis that mothers would rate AD/HD behaviors at higher levels than fathers. Although no significant differences emerged, trends revealed that fathers rated the boy and girl more severely than mothers. Mothers and fathers also rated the girl's AD/HD symptoms more severely than the boy's symptoms. Additionally, parent and family variables, including parents' knowledge of AD/HD, marital dissatisfaction, perceptions of their own child's AD/HD behavior, and the recreational contexts in which parents interact with their children were associated with parents' perceptions of an unfamiliar child's AD/HD behavior. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed

Genetic variants in SLC9A9 are associated with measures of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in families.

Objective: A family was previously identified that cosegregates a pericentric inversion, inv(3)(p14 : q21), with an early-onset developmental condition, characterized by impulsive behavior and intellectual deficit. The inversion breakpoints lie within DOCK3 and SLC9A9 at the p-arm and q-arm, respectively. Based on this report, these genes were selected to be evaluated in a family-based attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) association study. Methods: Conners' Parent (CPRS) and Teacher (CTRS) Rating Scales of AD/HD symptoms and Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) measures were collected and a minimal number of tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in each gene were selected for analysis. Analyses were performed on families who met research criteria for AD/HD. Using the program, QTDT, each tagging SNP was tested for association with T-scores from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) subscales according to the CTRS and CPRS, and five CPT measures. Results: After adjusting for multiple testing, a SNP in the 3' UTR of SLC9A9, rs1046706, remained significantly associated (false discovery rate, q value <0.05) with scores on the DSM-IV hyperactive-impulsive and total symptom subscales according to the CTRS and errors of commission on the CPT. In addition, an intronic SLC9A9 SNP, rs2360867, remained significantly associated with errors of commission. Conclusion: Our results suggest that SLC9A9 may be related to hyperactive-impulsive symptoms in AD/HD and the disruption of SLC9A9 may be responsible for the behavioral phenotype observed in the inversion family. The association with SLC9A9 is particularly interesting as it was recently implicated in a genome-wide association study for AD/HD. Further investigation of the role of SLC9A9 in AD/HD and other behavioral disorders is warranted

Genetic identification and phylogenetics of Lake Waccamaw endemic freshwater mussel species

Approximately 70% of modern-day freshwater mussel species in North America are considered threatened, endangered, or recently extinct, and a large number of the non-extinct species are endemic to a narrow geographic range. Freshwater mussel conservation efforts have been limited by taxonomic ambiguity and morphologic convergence. Lake Waccamaw in southeastern North Carolina contains two endemic species, Lampsilis fullerkati and Elliptio waccamawensis, which share nearly identical shell morphologies. This convergence in shell morphology complicates conservation efforts. To provide an alternative means to discriminate them, I developed a Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay for genetic identification. Genomic DNA was obtained using a non-lethal method of hemolymph extraction. DNA was amplified using 16S rRNA gene specific primers and digested with Hinf I, Ava II, and Hind III. However, only the banding patterns of Ava II and Hind III digestions were diagnostic for these species and were used to type 112 individuals. RFLP and DNA sequencing data revealed three individuals that had been misidentified based on morphology. In addition, phylogenetic analysis was used to assess the taxonomy and to test the status of these putative endemics. Mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, cox1, and nad1 sequences were obtained from 109 individuals sampled from Lake Waccamaw, the adjacent Waccamaw River, and the Yadkin/Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee, and Lumber Rivers in the Pee Dee Drainage. Results from Bayesian analyses suggest the endemic status of both L. fullerkati and E. waccamawensis may need to be reconsidered. L. fullerkati is not phylogenetically distinct from Lampsilis radiata collected outside the lake, and E. waccamawensis groups with and is not genetically distinguishable from E. congaraea individuals from the Waccamaw River

Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program: Evaluation Report

The Consortium for Crime and Justice Research (CCJR) at the University of Nebraska – Omaha is conducting an evaluation of projects supported by Nebraska’s 2012 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program funds. The primary goal of the evaluation is to provide the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (Crime Commission) a summary of the law enforcement, training, prevention, and associated activities occurring as a direct or indirect result of the infusion of Bryne JAG funds. In other words, the intent of the evaluation is to provide a summary of the funded activities and resulting products from Byrne JAG dollars. A subsidiary goal is to track the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) supported by JAG funds. Because federal funding agencies continue to emphasize the use of practices that are supported by research evidence, we are tracking the use of EBPs, as well as fidelity to the model of the practices that have been adopted. This report provides an overview of activities and products of funded agencies based on required performance indicator data submitted for October to December 2012 and January to March 2013. Because the funded task forces report similar data, their feedback is included in one section. In addition to the task forces, information is provided to summarize the activities of Banister’s Leadership Academy, the Nebraska Crime Commission, The Indian Center, the Law Enforcement Training Center, the Nebraska Department of Corrections, the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Offic

Kentucky Tax Law, Second Edition

A reference for Kentucky lawyers on real and personal property taxation, Kentucky sales and use taxation, Kentucky individual income taxation, corporate income taxation, and procedures before the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals

Coherent multi-flavour spin dynamics in a fermionic quantum gas

Microscopic spin interaction processes are fundamental for global static and dynamical magnetic properties of many-body systems. Quantum gases as pure and well isolated systems offer intriguing possibilities to study basic magnetic processes including non-equilibrium dynamics. Here, we report on the realization of a well-controlled fermionic spinor gas in an optical lattice with tunable effective spin ranging from 1/2 to 9/2. We observe long-lived intrinsic spin oscillations and investigate the transition from two-body to many-body dynamics. The latter results in a spin-interaction driven melting of a band insulator. Via an external magnetic field we control the system's dimensionality and tune the spin oscillations in and out of resonance. Our results open new routes to study quantum magnetism of fermionic particles beyond conventional spin 1/2 systems.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

15th Annual Legal Issues for Financial Institutions Conference

Program and materials from the 15th Annual Legal Issues for Financial Institutions Conference held by UK/CLE on March 10-11, 1995

Inventory of the chemicals and the exposure of the workers’ skin to these at two leather factories in Indonesia

PURPOSE: Tannery workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals. Tannery work is outsourced to newly industrialized countries (NICs) where attention into occupational health hazards is limited. In this study, we investigated the skin exposure to hazardous chemicals in tannery workers and determined the prevalence of occupational skin diseases (OSDs) at tanneries in a NIC. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on the observation of the working process and an inventory and risk assessment of the chemicals used. Classification of chemicals as potential sensitizers/irritants and a qualitative assessment of exposure to these chemicals. Workers were examined and interviewed using Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire-2002/LONG. RESULTS: The risk of OSDs at the investigated tanneries was mainly related to the exposure of the workers' skin to chemicals in hot and humid environmental conditions. In 472 workers, 12% reported a current OSD and 9% reported a history of OSD. In 10% of all cases, an OSD was confirmed by a dermatologist and 7.4% had an occupational contact dermatitis (OCD). We observed that personal protective equipment (PPE) used was mainly because of skin problems in the past and not as a primary protection against OSD. CONCLUSION: We observed a high frequency and prolonged exposure to many skin hazardous factors in tannery work although PPE was relatively easily available and which was generally used as a secondary preventative measure. The observed point-prevalence in this study was at the same level as that reported for other high-risk OSDs in Western countries and other tanneries in NICs. However, the observed point-prevalence in this study was lower than that reported in India and Korea. The results of our study and those of other studies at tanneries from other NICs were probably influenced by Healthy Worker Survivor Effect (HWSE)