Who is Responsible for the Child?

I had been sitting at my desk for some time, reading the previous articles on the responsibility for the child and writing down some ideas that occurred to me, when my seven-year-old boy came into the room

Predictors of anxiety after stroke: a systematic review of observational studies

Background: Anxiety disorders or symptoms are relatively common following stroke. A better understanding of the predictors of anxiety in stroke patients may improve the management of these disorders. The current review was conducted to determine the predictors of anxiety following stroke. Methods: Relevant articles concerning population, hospital or rehabilitation-based studies were identified by searching 10 electronic databases up to May 2014. Methodological quality appraisal, including the validity of prognostic models and data extraction were conducted by three reviewers. Results: A total of 18 studies were identified. Data from three population-based studies including 8130 patients, 8 hospital-based studies including 1199 patients, and 7 rehabilitation-based studies including 1103 patients was evaluated. Pre-stroke depression, stroke severity, early anxiety and dementia or cognitive impairment following stroke were the main predictors of post stroke anxiety. Older age, physical disability or impairment, and use of antidepressant drugs were not associated with presence of anxiety. Limitations of studies included wide variation in screening tools and cut-off scores, variability in the time frame of screening for anxiety, use of extensive exclusion criteria and questionable statistical internal and external validity of the models. Conclusions: Lack of methodological and statistical rigour affects the validity of proposed models to predict anxiety after stroke. Future research should focus on testing proposed models on both internal and external samples to ultimately inform future clinical practice

Learning preferences of Enrolled Nursing students: Educational preparation and training for workplace readiness

In Australia there are two entry levels in nursing: the Registered Nurse (RN) and the Enrolled Nurse (EN). Nursing education research is predominately focused on higher education for Registered Nurses and postgraduate nursing students; as a result, the educational preferences of Enrolled Nursing students in the vocational education and training (VET) setting have not been identified. Enrolled Nursing students have some distinct educational needs as they transition through education into the workforce due to their diversity in learner characteristics and backgrounds. As the role of this group continues to expand in the workplace to meet the demands of the health workforce, attention to the educational preparation of this cohort of learners is relevant and timely. This requires identifying targeted educational strategies to support learner preferences for the planning and delivery of education to these students. A qualitative research study using focus groups was undertaken to identify specific learner preferences for teaching modalities among Enrolled Nursing students in a Diploma of Nursing program. A thematic analysis of the data identified the following five main themes: a variety of teaching and assessment methods; educator-directed or guided learning; practical application and simulated learning; face-to-face learning; and closer integration of theory to clinical practicum. The main focus of these learners was preparation for workplace settings. The findings have implications for education strategies in the diploma program, in terms of planning the program structure and its delivery; teaching and learning methods; educator development; development of practical and clinical skills; experiential learning; and the promotion of skills for independent and lifelong learning, the latter being essential preparation for professional nursing practice

To What Extent Does Punishment Insensitivity Explain the Relationship Between Callous-unemotional Traits and Academic Performance in Secondary School Students?

BACKGROUND: Callous‐unemotional (CU) traits are related to low achievement but not to deficits in verbal ability, commonly regarded as a major risk factor for poor academic outcomes in antisocial youth. This suggests that CU traits may have utility in explaining heterogeneous risk pathways for poor school performance in antisocial children. Reduced sensitivity to teacher discipline has been suggested as a potential explanation for the association between CU traits and low achievement, given its importance in facilitating engagement in learning. This study is the first to examine punishment insensitivity as a potential mechanism explaining the relationship between CU traits and poor achievement. AIM: The current study investigated the indirect pathway from CU traits via the predictor of punishment insensitivity to English, Maths, and Science grades. SAMPLE: A total of 437 English secondary school students aged 11 to 14 years (49% girls). METHODS: We conducted a mediation analysis within a structural equation modelling framework. CU traits and punishment insensitivity were assessed using child report questionnaires and academic grades were obtained from school records. RESULTS: CU traits were indirectly associated with low academic grades in Maths and Science, but not English, via punishment insensitivity, controlling for child age, gender, single parent household status, free school meals eligibility, externalizing problems, and classroom effects. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicated that reduced sensitivity to discipline forms a pathway linking CU traits to poor performance in Maths and Science. Teachers may therefore need additional support to implement discipline effectively with children high in CU traits in order to prevent poor academic outcomes

The use of vitamin D3 and its metabolites to improve beef tenderness

Three experiments were conducted to determine whether feeding 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH D3) or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) improves the tenderness of longissimus dorsi (LD), semimembranosus (SM), and infraspinatus (IF) muscles similar to supplemental vitamin D3 without leaving residual vitamin D3 and its metabolites in muscle. In the first two experiments, 24 crossbred steers were used to determine the effects of different oral amounts of 1,25-(OH)2 D3 (Exp. 1; n = 12) and 25-OH D3 (Exp. 2; n = 12) on plasma Ca2+concentrations. In the third experiment, crossbred steers were allotted randomly to one of four treatments: 1) control placebo (n = 7); 2) 5 × 106IU of vitamin D3/d (n = 9) for 9 d and harvested 2 d after last treatment; 3) single, 125-mg dose of 25-OH D3 (n = 8) 4 d before harvest; or 4) single, 500-μg dose of 1,25-(OH)2 D3 (n = 9) 3 d before harvest. The LD and SM steaks from each animal were aged for 8, 14, or 21 d, whereas steaks from the IF were aged for 14 or 21 d. All steaks were analyzed for tenderness by Warner-Bratzler shear force and for troponin-T degradation by Western blot analysis. Supplementing steers with vitamin D3 increased (P \u3c 0.01) the concentration of vitamin D3 and 25-OH D3 in all muscles sampled. Feeding steers 25-OH D3 increased (P \u3c 0.05) the concentration of 25-OH D3 in meat, but to an amount less than half that of cattle treated with vitamin D3. Supplemental 1,25-(OH)2 D3 did not affect (P \u3c 0.10) shear force values; however, there was a trend (P \u3c 0.10) for supplemental vitamin D3 and 25-OH D3 to produce LD steaks with lower shear values after 8 and 14 d of aging, and lower (P \u3c 0.10) shear force values for the SM aged for 21 d. Analysis of Western blots indicated that LD steaks from cattle supplemented with vitamin D3 and 25-OH D3 had greater (P \u3c 0.05) troponin-T degradation. Antemortem supplementation of 25-OH D3 seems to increase postmortem proteolysis and tenderness in the LD and SM without depositing large concentrations of residual vitamin D3 and its metabolite 25-OH D3

Use of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and vitamin E to improve tenderness of beef from the longissimus dorsi of heifers

The objective of this trial was to determine whether a single bolus of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH D3), vitamin E, or a combination of the 2 would improve the tenderness of steaks from the LM of beef heifers. Forty-eight Angus crossbred heifers were allotted randomly to 8 pens. Six heifers were in each pen, and there were 2 pens per treatment. The 4 treatments included control (no 25-OH D3 or vitamin E); 25-OH D3 (500 mg of 25-OH D3 administered as a one-time oral bolus 7 d before slaughter); vitamin E (1,000 IU of vitamin E administered daily as a top-dress for 104 d before slaughter); or combination (500 mg of 25-OH D3administered as a one-time oral bolus 7 d before slaughter and 1,000 IU of vitamin E administered daily as a top-dress for 104 d before slaughter). Blood samples were obtained on the day that heifers were allotted to treatments, on the day 25-OH D3 was administered, and on the day before slaughter. Plasma calcium concentration was increased when 25-OH D3 was administered with or without vitamin E (P \u3c 0.007). In LM, calcium concentration tended to increase (P = 0.10) when 25-OH D3 was administered alone but not when 25-OH D3 was administered with vitamin E. Concentrations of 25-OH D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in plasma were increased when 25-OH D3 was administered with or without vitamin E (P \u3c 0.001). Steaks from heifers treated with 25-OH D3or vitamin E, but not both, tended to have lower Warner-Bratzler shear force than steaks in the control group at 14 d postmortem (P = 0.08). Postmortem protein degradation as measured by Western blot of the 30-kDa degradation product of troponin-T was increased with all treatments after 3 d postmortem (P ≤ 0.07), but not at 7 or 14 d postmortem. Unexpectedly, the use of 500 mg of 25-OH D3 fed as an oral bolus 7 d before slaughter or 1,000 IU of vitamin E administered daily for 104 d before slaughter alone, but not in combination, effectively decreased Warner-Bratzler shear force

High Frequency Trading 101: Regulatory Impact in American and European Markets

High frequency trading has impacted the American and European financial markets through its advanced algorithms, rapid speed, and preferential treatment from purchasing information and co-location from exchanges. High frequency trading alone is not harmful, but without proper regulations it can hurt the financial markets. In this thesis, I researched implemented regulations, the consequences of those regulations, and pending new regulations. To gather information, I studied relevant research on the topic, including numerous academic articles and books to get a broader view of the issues. Through my research, I have found that previous regulations implemented by American and European regulatory agencies have benefitted high frequency trading firms, and that exchanges, through selling information via co-location, have created an environment that benefits high frequency traders. High frequency trading firms are affecting the market in a negative way by providing a false sense of liquidity while acting as a market makers and by purchasing preferential information and access to the financial markets

Use of Vitamin D3 and its Metabolites to Improve Beef Tenderness

Our previous work has shown that feeding 5 million international units (IU) of vitamin D3 to beef steers can produce tender strip loin and top round steaks. Our current experiment was designed to determine whether feeding two metabolites of vitamin D3, 25- hydroxyvitamin D3, and 1,25-dihysroxyvitamin D3, produces tender strip loin, top round, and top blade steaks more effectively than does supplemental vitamin D3 without leaving a substantial amount of residual vitamin D3 in muscle. Thirty-three continental crossbred steers were randomly allotted to one of four treatment groups. The first group was fed a placebo. The second group received 5 million IU of vitamin D3 each day for nine days and was slaughtered two days later. The third group received one dose of 125 mg of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 four days before harvest, and the fourth group received one dose of 500 mg of 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3 three days before harvest. Blood samples were collected before treatment and at the time of slaughter for subsequent analysis of calcium, vitamin D3, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in plasma. Steaks from the longissimus lumborum (strip loin) and semimembranous (top round) muscles were collected from each animal and aged for 8, 14, and 21 days, and steaks from the infraspinatus were collected and aged for 14 and 21 days. All steaks were analyzed for tenderness by Warner-Bratzler shear force determination. Concentrations of vitamin D3 in plasma were higher in vitamin D3- treated cattle (P \u3c 0.0001). Concentrations of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were increased in 25- hydroxyvitamin D3-treated cattle, but not as high as vitamin D3-treated cattle (P \u3c 0.0001). 1,25- Dihydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations were higher in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-treated animals compared with all treatments (P \u3c 0.0001). Supplementing steers with vitamin D3 increased the concentration of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the meat of all muscles sampled (P \u3c 0.0001). Supplementing steers with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 increased the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in meat, but to an amount less than half that of cattle treated with vitamin D3. Warner-Bratzler shear force analysis showed that feeding 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3 did not significantly lower shear force values, but supplemental vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 produced longissimus lumborum and semimembranous steaks with lower shear force values (P \u3c 0.06). Analysis of Western blots showed that longissimus lumborum and semimembranous steaks from cattle fed supplemental vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (but not steaks from cattle fed 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3), had greater proteolysis of troponin T to a 30 kDa component