Influence of Family Style Meals on Self-Regulation in Preschool Children

This action research study looked at the connections between the frequency of family meal experiences and the self-regulatory capabilities of preschool aged children. Parents of 19 preschool children were surveyed to gain insight into the weekly frequency of family meals and discover how parents assessed their individual child’s capabilities. Within the preschool setting, children’s regulatory abilities were assessed through teacher evaluation of mealtime behavior. Both parents and teachers assessed four types of self-regulatory skills: individual table skills, interpersonal skills, health consciousness, and contributions to their family or school community. It was found that parents place high value on the communal family experiences that occur during family style meals in their homes and prioritize these opportunities for additional time. Children’s self-regulatory abilities both in school and home were not found to differ significantly based on the frequency of family meals experienced on a weekly basis

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe regulation of gene expression is central to cell biology. While gene expression is modulated at many levels, the interaction between DNA and sitespecific DNA binding transcription factors is a critical step. In metazoans, transcription factors usually exist in highly related families that exhibit a conserved preference for a particular DNA binding site. The ETS family provides a model for understanding how transcription factor families achieve distinct functions despite high conservation. With a focus on ETS1, genomic studies have identified two modes of ETS factor binding: redundant binding with other ETS factors, and specific binding of ETS1 only. The work presented in this dissertation uses genomic data from massively parallel sequencing experiments to refine the model of ETS factor occupancy in vivo. ETS-redundant and ETS1-specific binding events were found to be correlated with distinct recruitment motifs. ETS-redundant binding is co-incident with histone marks associated with active promoters while ETS1-specific binding is co-incident with histone marks associated with distal transcriptional enhancers. ETS1 co-localizes with the transcriptional co-activator CBP at enhancers, but not at promoters, suggesting different mechanisms of ETS1 function at these two recruitment sequences. Genome-wide disruption of ETS1 binding results in distinct expression profiles for genes near ETS-redundant and ETS1-specific binding events, confirming functional differences. At redundant promoters, disruption of ETS1 occupancy also provided the first example of dynamic time sharing by ETS1 and GABPA, establishing the molecular basis of redundancy within the ETS family. Unexpectedly, genes near ETS1-specific binding events were upregulated upon ETS1 disruption, suggesting a previously unidentified mode of regulation at these targets. These results serve as a framework for future studies investigating the specificity and redundancy of ETS factors in vivo

Validation of the Medication Box Task Assessment

There are a limited number of validated occupation-based cognitive assessments that are feasible in clinical settings. For individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI), ecologically valid cognitive assessments are needed to understand how cognition influences functional performance. This study implemented a quantitative exploratory correlational design using a battery of gold standard tabletop cognitive assessments as criterion measurements against the Medication Box Task assessment, an occupation-based cognitive assessment. Eight participants completed the test battery. The student researchers used Pearson correlations to analyze each participant’s scores on the Medication Box Task assessment and the scores on the battery of gold standard assessments. Results indicated that no significant correlations existed between total scores of the battery of tabletop cognitive assessments and the Medication Box Task assessment. However significant correlations were found between scores of the total Type II errors made on the Tower of London and the total number of missing pills, extra pills, and total correct scores on the Medication Box Task assessment. Further findings indicated that seven out of eight participants made mistakes on the Medication Box Task assessment; six out of eight claimed that they managed their own medications

Validation of the Medication Box Task Assessment

Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) may experience challenges in their everyday occupational performance due to cognitive impairments. Cognitive tabletop and occupation-based assessments are used to evaluate cognition in individuals with ABI. There is a need for cognitive occupation-based assessments as they possess ecological validity: a reflection of an individual’s occupational performance in daily life. This study aimed to validate the Medication Box Task assessment in its use as a cognitive occupation-based assessment. The results of the Medication Box Task assessment were compared against the results of a battery of five gold standard tabletop assessments. Pearson correlations showed significant correlations between type II errors of the Tower of London and the extra and missing pills of the Medication Box Task assessment. No other significant correlations were found between scores of the Medication Box Task assessment and the battery of cognitive tabletop assessments. More importantly, it was discovered that six out of seven participants, who indicated that they managed their own medication, made errors on the Medication Box Task assessment. Based on the results, no conclusion can be made about the Medication Box Task assessment as a valid cognitive occupation-based assessment.https://scholar.dominican.edu/ug-student-posters/1026/thumbnail.jp

Screening for Caregiver Role Strain Among Primary Care Providers

Following a diagnosis of terminal illness, more people are electing to remain home for care. The role of the caregiver falls to other family members or paid assistance from outside the home, which can become expensive. As the disease progresses and functional and mental deficits develop, the physical and emotional stressors of providing care can, over time, manifest in changes to the overall health of the caregiver. Even with paid assistance, the financial burden can worsen these stressors further. Early identification of caregiver role strain could allow providers to aid in linking available and appropriate resources that may be of benefit. The purpose of this study is to screen for provider knowledge and screening practices regarding caregiver role strain. The research integrates a descriptive, non-experimental, quantitative design using a convenience sampling of healthcare providers in the southern United States. Data was collected via Google Forms and distributed via social media platforms and provider databases. The researchers concluded that while healthcare providers are knowledgeable regarding caregiver role strain, they are not screening for role strain nor utilizing any screening tools

Examining the reversibility of long-term behavioral disruptions in progeny of maternal SSRI exposure

Serotonergic dysregulation is implicated in numerous psychiatric disorders. Serotonin plays widespread trophic roles during neurodevelopment; thus perturbations to this system during development may increase risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Epidemiological studies have examined association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment during pregnancy and increased autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in offspring. It is unclear from these studies whether ASD susceptibility is purely related to maternal psychiatric diagnosis, or if treatment poses additional risk. We sought to determine whether maternal SSRI treatment alone or in combination with genetically vulnerable background was sufficient to induce offspring behavior disruptions relevant to ASD. We exposed C57BL/6J or Celf6(+/-) mouse dams to fluoxetine (FLX) during different periods of gestation and lactation and characterized offspring on tasks assessing social communicative interaction and repetitive behavior patterns including sensory sensitivities. We demonstrate robust reductions in pup ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and alterations in social hierarchy behaviors, as well as perseverative behaviors and tactile hypersensitivity. Celf6 mutant mice demonstrate social communicative deficits and perseverative behaviors, without further interaction with FLX. FLX re-exposure in adulthood ameliorates the tactile hypersensitivity yet exacerbates the dominance phenotype. This suggests acute deficiencies in serotonin levels likely underlie the abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, while the social alterations are instead due to altered development of social circuits. These findings indicate maternal FLX treatment, independent of maternal stress, can induce behavioral disruptions in mammalian offspring, thus contributing to our understanding of the developmental role of the serotonin system and the possible risks to offspring of SSRI treatment during pregnancy

Similarity of ensembles of trajectories of reversible and irreversible growth processes

Models of bacterial growth tend to be “irreversible,” allowing for the number of bacteria in a colony to increase but not to decrease. By contrast, models of molecular self- assembly are usually “reversible,” allowing for the addition and removal of particles to a structure. Suc processes differ in a fundamental way because only reversible processes possess an equilibrium. Here we show at the mean-field level that dynamic trajectories of reversible and irreversible growth processes are similar in that both feel the influence of attractors, at which growth proceeds without limit but the intensive properties of the system are invariant. Attractors of both processes undergo nonequilibrium phase transitions as model parameters are varied, suggesting a unified way of describing typical properties of reversible and irreversible growth. We also establish a connection at the mean-field level between an irreversible model of growth (the magnetic Eden model) and the equilibrium Ising model, supporting the findings made by other authors using numerical simulations