Do Better Neighborhoods for MTO Families Mean Better Schools?

Explores the factors that kept children who moved to safer, lower-poverty neighborhoods through the Moving to Opportunity program from accessing better schools, such as lack of change in school district, lack of parental choice, and lack of information

Cutaneous Electrode Positioning

A device and method for positioning a cutaneous electrode for delivery of electrical stimulation to a subject\u27s head. A harness is worn on a subject\u27s head with a first band of the harness worn in a closed loop around the subject\u27s head and around a desired contact location on the subject\u27s head. A tensioning strap of the harness is worn across the desired contact location and connected at spaced-apart attachment locations of the strap to spaced-apart attachment locations of the harness such that an electrode disposed over the desired contact location on the subject\u27s head is held in place by the tensioning strap

Lost Toy? Monsters Under the Bed? Contributions of Temperament and Family Factors to Early Internalizing Problems in Boys and Girls

This study was designed to examine the contribution of multiple risk factors to early internalizing problems and to investigate whether family and ecological context moderated the association between child temperament and internalizing outcomes. A sample of 1,202 mothers of 2- and 3-year-old children completed a survey of child social-emotional functioning, family environment, and violence exposure. Child temperament, maternal affective symptoms, and family expressiveness were associated with child anxiety and depression problems. Violence exposure was related only to child anxiety. When maternal affective symptoms were elevated, inhibited girls but not boys were rated as more anxious and youngsters with heightened negative emotionality were rated as more depressed. Family expressiveness moderated the association between inhibited temperament and anxiety symptoms

Trauma histories among justice-involved youth: findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

BackgroundUp to 90% of justice-involved youth report exposure to some type of traumatic event. On average, 70% of youth meet criteria for a mental health disorder with approximately 30% of youth meeting criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Justice-involved youth are also at risk for substance use and academic problems, and child welfare involvement. Yet, less is known about the details of their trauma histories, and associations among trauma details, mental health problems, and associated risk factors.ObjectiveThis study describes detailed trauma histories, mental health problems, and associated risk factors (i.e., academic problems, substance/alcohol use, and concurrent child welfare involvement) among adolescents with recent involvement in the juvenile justice system.MethodThe National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set (NCTSN-CDS) is used to address these aims, among which 658 adolescents report recent involvement in the juvenile justice system as indexed by being detained or under community supervision by the juvenile court.ResultsAge of onset of trauma exposure was within the first 5 years of life for 62% of youth and approximately one-third of youth report exposure to multiple or co-occurring trauma types each year into adolescence. Mental health problems are prevalent with 23.6% of youth meeting criteria for PTSD, 66.1% in the clinical range for externalizing problems, and 45.5% in the clinical range for internalizing problems. Early age of onset of trauma exposure was differentially associated with mental health problems and related risk factors among males and females.ConclusionsThe results indicate that justice-involved youth report high rates of trauma exposure and that this trauma typically begins early in life, is often in multiple contexts, and persists over time. Findings provide support for establishing trauma-informed juvenile justice systems that can respond to the needs of traumatized youth

Pectins: cross-linking and cell adhesion in developing plants

A great deal of the remarkable properties of plants lie in the complex nature of adhesion of cells which is unparalleled in modern materials science. The exact nature of the polymer network that results in this is still to be completely understood. A basic view of the plant cell wall has a cellulose microfibrillar network embedded in a highly crosslinked pectin matrix. It is suspected that it is these crosslinks that give rise to the adhesion between cells and it is the aim of this thesis to examine the molecular features responsible for inter cellular adhesion in plants and how these might vary within the cell and between cells. A variety of cell separation techniques were utilised including the development of a multi-step pectin extraction procedure and investigation into the use of enzymes to break specific linkages in order to effect cell separation. These experiments confirmed that crosslinks between pectic polymers were responsible for cell adhesion as breaking them resulted in separation. These experiments also showed that the mechanism responsible for cell adhesion differed between faces of the individual cell and also between different types of cell. The existence and potential role in cell adhesion for non-methyl esters was also investigated. From this work it was discovered that non-methyl intermolecular esters existed. Studies that combined enzyme treatment with tensile strength testing equipment at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich endeavoured to test the strength of cell-cell adhesion and these discovered that this varied according to the structure of the polysaccharides in the wall

Using Nominal Group Technique to Identify Key Attributes of Oncology Treatments for a Discrete Choice Experiment.

Background. Responding to rising oncology therapy costs, multiple value frameworks are emerging. However, input from economists in their design and conceptualization has been limited, and no existing framework has been developed using preference weightings as legitimate indicators of value. This article outlines use of the nominal group technique to identify valued treatment attributes (such as treatment inconvenience) and contextual considerations (such as current life expectancy) to inform the design of a discrete choice experiment to develop a preference weighted value framework for future decision makers. Methods. Three focus groups were conducted in 2017 with cancer patients, oncology physicians, and nurses. Using the nominal group technique, participants identified and prioritized cancer therapy treatment and delivery attributes as well as contextual issues considered when choosing treatment options. Results. Focus groups with patients (n = 8), physicians (n = 6), and nurses (n = 10) identified 30 treatment attributes and contextual considerations. Therapy health gains was the first priority across all groups. Treatment burden/inconvenience to patients and their families and quality of evidence were prioritized treatment attributes alongside preferences for resource use and cost (to patients and society) attributes. The groups also demonstrated that contextual considerations when choosing treatment varied across the stakeholders. Patients prioritized existence of alternative treatments and oncologist/center reputation while nurses focused on administration harms, communication, and treatment innovation. The physicians did not prioritize any contextual issues in their top rankings. Conclusions. The study demonstrates that beyond health gains, there are treatment attributes and contextual considerations that are highly prioritized across stakeholder groups. These represent important candidates for inclusion in a discrete choice experiment seeking to provide weighted preferences for a value framework for oncology treatment that goes beyond health outcomes

Glucocorticoid-Induced Bone Loss Is Associated with Abnormal Intravertebral Areal Bone Mineral Density Distribution

Individuals with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis experience vertebral fractures at an increased rate and at higher vertebral areal bone mineral density (aBMD) than individuals with primary osteoporosis. Standard posteroanterior- (PA-) projection dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) lacks the diagnostic sensitivity required for reliable estimation of vertebral fracture risk in individuals. Assessment of subregional vertebral aBMD using lateral-projection DXA may improve the predictive value of DXA parameters for fracture. One hundred and four individuals were recruited and grouped for this study: primary osteoporosis with no history of vertebral fracture (n = 43), glucocorticoid-induced bone loss (n = 13), and healthy controls (n = 48). Standard PA-projection and supine-lateral scans were performed, and lateral scans were analysed according to an established protocol to measure aBMD within 6 subregions. Main effects for subregion and group were assessed and observed, by ANCOVA. Ratios were calculated between subregions and compared between groups, to overcome the potentially confounding influence of variability in subregional geometry. Significantly lower values were observed in the glucocorticoid group for the ratios of (i) anterior subregion: whole vertebral body and (ii) posterior: whole vertebral body when compared to the primary osteoporosis and control groups (P < 0.0 5). Lower anterior subregional aBMD in individuals on glucocorticoid therapy may help to explain the increased vertebral fracture risk in this patient group

Nucleotide modification at the γ-phosphate leads to the improved fidelity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase

The mechanism by which HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-RT) discriminates between the correct and incorrect nucleotide is not clearly understood. Chemically modified nucleotides containing 1-aminonaphthalene-5-sulfonate (ANS) attached to their γ-phosphate were synthesized and used to probe nucleotide selection by this error prone polymerase. Primer extension reactions provide direct evidence that the polymerase is able to incorporate the gamma-modified nucleotides. Forward mutation assays reveal a 6-fold reduction in the mutational frequency with the modified nucleotides, and specific base substitutions are dramatically reduced or eliminated. Molecular modeling illustrates potential interactions between critical residues within the polymerase active site and the modified nucleotides. Our data demonstrate that the fidelity of reverse transcriptase is improved using modified nucleotides, and we suggest that specific modifications to the γ-phosphate may be useful in designing new antiviral therapeutics or, more generally, as a tool for defining the structural role that the polymerase active site has on nucleotide selectivity