751 research outputs found
Influence of prenatal maternal stress, maternal plasma cortisol and cortisol in the amniotic fluid on birth outcomes and child temperament at 3 months
This prospective, longitudinal study aimed to investigate relationships between indicators of maternal prenatal stress, infant birth outcomes and early temperament. We examined the pattern of associations and postulated pathways between physiological (cortisol plasma concentrations) and self-report indices (stress, anxiety) of maternal prenatal stress, cortisol in the amniotic fluid, birth outcomes and infant temperament at 3 months. The sample consisted of 158 women undergoing amniocentesis in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Questionnaire measures of maternal stress and anxiety were found to be unrelated to cortisol in plasma or amniotic fluid. Maternal cortisol was related to amniotic cortisol, which in turn was associated with lower birth weight. Birth weight predicted infant fear and distress to limitation at 3 months old. We found trend-like indirect effects of amniotic fluid on infant distress to limitation and fear via birth weight. This is one of the few studies to simultaneously assess the role of maternal and amniotic fluid cortisol on birth outcomes and infant emotional development. The results suggest that foetal cortisol may be an important predictor of infant outcomes and shed light on the mechanisms through which prenatal maternal stress affects infant psychological health
A Quantum Dot in the Kondo Regime Coupled to Superconductors
The Kondo effect and superconductivity are both prime examples of many-body
phenomena. Here we report transport measurements on a carbon nanotube quantum
dot coupled to superconducting leads that show a delicate interplay between
both effects. We demonstrate that the superconductivity of the leads does not
destroy the Kondo correlations on the quantum dot when the Kondo temperature,
which varies for different single-electron states, exceeds the superconducting
gap energy
Methylphenidate for ADHD in children and adolescents:throwing the baby out with the bathwater
Item does not contain fulltextA recent Cochrane review assessed the efficacy of methylphenidate for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Notwithstanding the moderate-to-large effect sizes for ADHD symptom reduction found in the meta-analysis, the authors concluded that the quality of the evidence is low and therefore the true magnitude of these effects remains uncertain. We identified a number of major concerns with the review, in the domains of study inclusion, approaches to quality assessment and interpretation of data relating to serious adverse events as well as of the clinical implications of the reported effects. We also found errors in the extraction of data used to estimate the effect size of the primary outcome. Considering all the shortcomings, the conclusion in the Cochrane review that the status of the evidence is uncertain is misplaced. Professionals, parents and patients should refer to previous reviews and existing guidelines, which include methylphenidate as one of the safe and efficacious treatment strategies for ADHD
A randomised controlled trial (MindChamp) of a mindfulness-based intervention for children with ADHD and their parents
BACKGROUND: Family mindfulnessâbased intervention (MBI) for child attentionâdeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) targets child selfâcontrol, parenting and parental mental health, but its effectiveness is still unclear. METHODS: MindChamp is a preâregistered randomised controlled trial comparing an 8âweek family MBI (called âMYmindâ) in addition to careâasâusual (CAU) (nâ=â55) with CAUâonly (nâ=â48). Children aged 8â16âyears with remaining ADHD symptoms after CAU were enrolled together with a parent. Primary outcome was postâtreatment parentârated child selfâcontrol deficits (BRIEF); post hoc, Reliable Change Indexes were explored. Secondary child outcomes included ADHD symptoms (parent/teacherârated Connersâ and SWAN; teacherârated BRIEF), other psychological symptoms (parent/teacherârated), wellâbeing (parentârated) and mindfulness (selfârated). Secondary parent outcomes included selfâratings of ADHD symptoms, other psychological symptoms, wellâbeing, selfâcompassion and mindful parenting. Assessments were conducted at postâtreatment, 2â and 6âmonth followâup. RESULTS: Relative to CAUâonly, MBI+CAU resulted in a small, statistically nonâsignificant postâtreatment improvement on the BRIEF (intentionâtoâtreat: dâ=â0.27, pâ=â.18; per protocol: dâ=â0.33, pâ=â.11). Significantly more children showed reliable postâtreatment improvement following MBI+CAU versus CAUâonly (32% versus 11%, pâ<â.05, NumberâNeededâtoâTreatâ=â4.7). ADHD symptoms significantly reduced postâtreatment according to parent (Connersâ and SWAN) and teacher ratings (BRIEF) per protocol. Only parentârated hyperactivity impulsivity (SWAN) remained significantly reduced at 6âmonth followâup. Postâtreatment group differences on other secondary child outcomes were consistently favour of MBI+CAU, but mostly nonâsignificant; no significant differences were found at followâups. Regarding parent outcomes, significant postâtreatment improvements were found for their own ADHD symptoms, wellâbeing and mindful parenting. At followâups, some significant effects remained (ADHD symptoms, mindful parenting), some additional significant effects appeared (other psychological symptoms, selfâcompassion) and others disappeared/remained nonâsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Family MBI+CAU did not outperform CAUâonly in reducing child selfâcontrol deficits on a group level but more children reliably improved. Effects on parents were larger and more durable. When CAU for ADHD is insufficient, family MBI could be a valuable addition
Reviewing the problem of learning non-taxonomic relationships of ontologies from text
Learning Non-Taxonomic Relationships is a sub-field of Ontology
Learning that aims at automating the extraction of these relationships from text.
This article discusses the problem of Learning Non-Taxonomic Relationships
of ontologies and proposes a generic process for approaching it. Some
techniques representing the state of the art of this field are discussed along with
their advantages and limitations. Finally, a framework for Learning Non-
Taxonomic Relationships being developed by the authors is briefly discussed.
This framework intends to be a customizable solution to reach good
effectiveness in the process of extraction of non-taxonomic relationships
according to the characteristics of the corpus.This work is supported by CNPq, CAPES and FAPEMA, research funding agencies of the Brazilian government
Temperament as an early risk marker for Autism Spectrum Disorders? A longitudinal study of high-risk and low-risk infants
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