Posttraumatic Stress and Parenting Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation

Maternal trauma has been linked with problematic parenting, including both harsh and permissive behaviors. However, little is known about mechanisms accounting for this association. The current study examined the potential impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotion regulation on dysfunctional parenting behaviors in a sample of community mothers. We hypothesized a mediation model wherein PTSD would be associated with dysfunctional parenting (i.e., lax and overreactive behaviors) indirectly through deficits in maternal emotion regulation. Seventy-eight community mothers of 18- to 36-month-old children were administered the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) and 19 mothers met criteria for PTSD. Mothers also completed self-report measures of difficulties with emotion regulation and maternal laxness and overreactivity in parenting. Results revealed that emotion dysregulation fully mediated relations between PTSD status and lax (but not overreactive) parenting behaviors. Compared to mothers without PTSD, those with PTSD reported greater lax parenting behaviors indirectly through greater emotion dysregulation. Mothers with PTSD may struggle to parent assertively when trauma symptoms interfere with emotion regulation abilities. The current study highlights the need to design interventions focused on helping trauma-exposed mothers manage distress, ultimately aiming to enhance parenting effectiveness and improve child outcomes

A new approach to mass spectrometer measurements of thermospheric density

The gas sampling problem in satellite and high velocity probes was investigated by applying the theory of a drifting Maxwellian gas. A lens system using a free stream ion source was developed and experimentally evaluated over the pressure range of 0.00001 to 0.01 N/m sq (approx. 10 to the minus 7th power to 0.0001 torr). The source has high beam transparency, which minimizes gas-surface collisions within, or near, the ionization volume. It is shown that for high ion energy (60 eV), the extracted ion beam has an on-axis energy spread of less than 4 eV, and that 90 percent of the ions are within 2.5 deg of the beam axis. It is concluded that the molecular beam mass spectrometer concept, developed for gas density measurements in the upper atmosphere, substantially reduces gas-surface scattering and gas-surface reactions in the sample, and preserves the integrity of the gas sample during the analysis process. Studies show that both the Scout and Delta launch vehicles have adequate volume, control, velocity, and data acquisition capability necessary to obtain thermospheric number density in real time

System data communication structures for active-control transport aircraft, volume 2

The application of communication structures to advanced transport aircraft are addressed. First, a set of avionic functional requirements is established, and a baseline set of avionics equipment is defined that will meet the requirements. Three alternative configurations for this equipment are then identified that represent the evolution toward more dispersed systems. Candidate communication structures are proposed for each system configuration, and these are compared using trade off analyses; these analyses emphasize reliability but also address complexity. Multiplex buses are recognized as the likely near term choice with mesh networks being desirable for advanced, highly dispersed systems

System data communication structures for active-control transport aircraft, volume 1

Candidate data communication techniques are identified, including dedicated links, local buses, broadcast buses, multiplex buses, and mesh networks. The design methodology for mesh networks is then discussed, including network topology and node architecture. Several concepts of power distribution are reviewed, including current limiting and mesh networks for power. The technology issues of packaging, transmission media, and lightning are addressed, and, finally, the analysis tools developed to aid in the communication design process are described. There are special tools to analyze the reliability and connectivity of networks and more general reliability analysis tools for all types of systems

OC /EFSA /SCER /2014/02‐Lot 1 “Specialised training courses on certain aspects of food safety risk assessment for members of EFSA 's Scientific Committee/Panels and their working groups, open to EFSA staff” –final report

This final report evaluates the training courses delivered under the contract OC/EFSA/SCER/2014/02- Lot 1. Two types of specialised training courses were delivered: a training course addressing uncertainty in EFSA’s scientific assessments and a training course on Environmental Risk Assessment. Both trainings were evaluated as very good by the participants. In addition to its primary aim of supporting the understanding and practical implementation of best risk assessment practices, the uncertainty training was used to obtain feedback on the draft guidance document. Therefore, only invited participants could follow the training and selection ensured that each unit was represented in the training. The training course now has to be updated in line with the final version of the guidance document. One of the objectives of the training was to strengthen the dissemination of ERA guidance and modelling practises and to ensure the uptake of guidance on cross-cutting risk assessment approaches amongst members of EFSA’s Scientific Committee/Panels, their working groups and EFSA staff. This aim is partly achieved as participants of different backgrounds joined the trainings. It was noted however, that only a few panel member participated and participants with a background in pesticide risk assessment were over-represented as compared to the other work fields of EFSA

Partner Support and Connection Protect Couples during Pregnancy: A Daily Diary Investigation

Objective: The objective of the current study was to examine associations between daily subjective stress and relationship satisfaction as a function of two protective factors—partner support and connection (i.e., intimacy, passion, and commitment)—among couples during pregnancy. Background: Stress brought into the intimate relationship by each partner is often associated with relational dissatisfaction and discord, referred to as stress spillover. Although much research has focused on risk for poor relational outcomes associated with partner stress, it is equally important to focus on resilience. Method: We examined this phenomenon among 154 couples navigating pregnancy. Couples attended an initial laboratory session and then completed daily diary measures from home across 14 days. Results: Multilevel modeling techniques revealed that higher daily subjective stress than usual was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction that day for fathers and mothers, and partner support and connection attenuated this link to a significant degree. As these protective factors increased, the strength of the negative association between daily stress and relationship satisfaction decreased for both parents. Exploratory analyses showed no significant within-person associations between daily stress and next-day relationship satisfaction at any level of support or connection. Conclusion: These findings add innovative components to the investigation of the spillover process, including the examination of this process among couples during pregnancy, utilization of daily diary methods to study this phenomenon on a micro-level over time, and identification of protective factors mitigating daily stress spillover

Peer coach support in internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for college students with social anxiety disorder: efficacy and acceptability

Social anxiety disorder is common among emerging adults and is associated with serious functional impairment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective intervention for social anxiety. An online version may increase access but low completion rates limit utility. This study investigated a self-guided, internet based CBT (ICBT) with peer coach support. Participants were 35 undergraduate students randomized for immediate treatment (IT) or wait-list control (WL) in a randomized controlled trial design. IT participants completed a six-week ICBT program on their own and met briefly with a minimally trained undergraduate student as a “coach” between each lesson. IT participants had a greater decline in social anxiety relative to WL participants. High treatment retention and satisfaction ratings demonstrate the acceptability of this online intervention with peer coach support. The higher than expected enrollment from international students suggests ICBT may serve hard-to-reach college populations. This model of care could augment traditional mental health services to expand the availability of care

Synthesis, Structure and Properties of Tetragonal Sr2M3As2O2 (M3 = Mn3, Mn2Cu and MnZn2) Compounds Containing Alternating CuO2-Type and FeAs-Type Layers

Polycrystalline samples of Sr2Mn2CuAs2O2, Sr2Mn3As2O2, and Sr2Zn2MnAs2O2 were synthesized. Their temperature- and applied magnetic field-dependent structural, transport, thermal, and magnetic properties were characterized by means of x-ray and neutron diffraction, electrical resistivity rho, heat capacity, magnetization and magnetic susceptibility measurements. These compounds have a body-centered-tetragonal crystal structure (space group I4/mmm) that consists of MO2 (M = Zn and/or Mn) oxide layers similar to the CuO2 layers in high superconducting transition temperature Tc cuprate superconductors, and intermetallic MAs (M = Cu and/or Mn) layers similar to the FeAs layers in high-Tc pnictides. These two types of layers alternate along the crystallographic c-axis and are separated by Sr atoms. The site occupancies of Mn, Cu and Zn were studied using Rietveld refinements of x-ray and neutron powder diffraction data. The temperature dependences of rho suggest metallic character for Sr2Mn2CuAs2O2 and semiconducting character for Sr2Mn3As2O2 and Sr2Zn2MnAs2O2. Sr2Mn2CuAs2O2 is inferred to be a ferrimagnet with a Curie temperature TC = 95(1) K. Remarkably, we find that the magnetic ground state structure changes from a G-type antiferromagnetic structure in Sr2Mn3As2O2 to an A-type ferrimagnetic structure in Sr2Mn2CuAs2O2 in which the Mn ions in each layer are ferromagnetically aligned, but are antiferromagnetically aligned between layers.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, 6 tables; submitted to Phys. Rev.

Observed Effects of a Changing Step-Edge Density on Thin-Film Growth Dynamics

We grew SrTiO3 on SrTiO3 [001] by pulsed laser deposition, while observing x-ray diffraction at the (0 0 .5) position. The drop dI in the x-ray intensity following a laser pulse contains information about plume-surface interactions. Kinematic theory predicts dI/I = -4sigma(1-sigma), so that dI/I depends only on the amount of deposited material sigma. In contrast, we observed experimentally that |dI/I| < 4sigma(1-sigma), and that dI/I depends on the phase of x-ray growth oscillations. The combined results suggest a fast smoothing mechanism that depends on surface step-edge density.Comment: 4 figure