2,084 research outputs found
Portuguese validation of FACES-IV in adult children caregivers facing parental cancer
The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties
of the FACES-IV in Portuguese caregivers of cancer patients. In this cross-sectional study,
a sample of 214 adult children caregivers of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy,
completed FACES-IV, Family Communication Scale (FCS), Family Satisfaction Scale
(FSS), and Satisfaction with Social Support Scale (SSSS). Internal consistencies above .70
were found for all FACES-IV scales, except for Enmeshed and Rigid scales, as well as for
the FCS, FSS, and SSSS (except for Intimacy). Strong correlations between FACES-IV
and the validation scales FCS and FSS were found except for the Enmeshed and Rigid
scales. Confirmatory analysis yielded an acceptable model for the six theoretical subscales.
The discriminant analysis between problematic and non-problematic family systems
showed results similar to the original study. These findings suggest that FACES-IV is a
valid measure of family functioning in oncological family caregiving’s contexts.Acknowledgments This study was funded by a grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and
Technology (reference SFRH/BD/43275/2008)
Parenting gifted and talented children: What are the key child behaviour and parenting issues?
Objective: The literature on gifted and talented children is limited. Little is known about the types and nature of difficulties experienced by gifted and talented children, and even less known about parenting issues related to parenting a gifted and talented child. The aim of the present study was to describe children's behavioural and emotional adjustment, and the factors that contribute to children's difficulties, as well as to examine the styles of discipline used by parents of gifted and talented children and their level of confidence in managing specific parenting tasks
Massive migration from the steppe is a source for Indo-European languages in Europe
We generated genome-wide data from 69 Europeans who lived between 8,000-3,000
years ago by enriching ancient DNA libraries for a target set of almost four
hundred thousand polymorphisms. Enrichment of these positions decreases the
sequencing required for genome-wide ancient DNA analysis by a median of around
250-fold, allowing us to study an order of magnitude more individuals than
previous studies and to obtain new insights about the past. We show that the
populations of western and far eastern Europe followed opposite trajectories
between 8,000-5,000 years ago. At the beginning of the Neolithic period in
Europe, ~8,000-7,000 years ago, closely related groups of early farmers
appeared in Germany, Hungary, and Spain, different from indigenous
hunter-gatherers, whereas Russia was inhabited by a distinctive population of
hunter-gatherers with high affinity to a ~24,000 year old Siberian6 . By
~6,000-5,000 years ago, a resurgence of hunter-gatherer ancestry had occurred
throughout much of Europe, but in Russia, the Yamnaya steppe herders of this
time were descended not only from the preceding eastern European
hunter-gatherers, but from a population of Near Eastern ancestry. Western and
Eastern Europe came into contact ~4,500 years ago, as the Late Neolithic Corded
Ware people from Germany traced ~3/4 of their ancestry to the Yamnaya,
documenting a massive migration into the heartland of Europe from its eastern
periphery. This steppe ancestry persisted in all sampled central Europeans
until at least ~3,000 years ago, and is ubiquitous in present-day Europeans.
These results provide support for the theory of a steppe origin of at least
some of the Indo-European languages of Europe
Fin-Tail Coordination during Escape and Predatory Behavior in Larval Zebrafish
Larval zebrafish innately perform a suite of behaviors that are tightly linked to their evolutionary past, notably escape from threatening stimuli and pursuit and capture of prey. These behaviors have been carefully examined in the past, but mostly with regard to the movements of the trunk and tail of the larvae. Here, we employ kinematics analyses to describe the movements of the pectoral fins during escape and predatory behavior. In accord with previous studies, we find roles for the pectoral fins in slow swimming and immediately after striking prey. We find novel roles for the pectoral fins in long-latency, but not in short-latency C-bends. We also observe fin movements that occur during orienting J-turns and S-starts that drive high-velocity predatory strikes. Finally, we find that the use of pectoral fins following a predatory strike is scaled to the velocity of the strike, supporting a role for the fins in braking. The implications of these results for central control of coordinated movements are discussed, and we hope that these results will provide baselines for future analyses of cross-body coordination using mutants, morphants, and transgenic approaches
Inference of population splits and mixtures from genome-wide allele frequency data
Many aspects of the historical relationships between populations in a species
are reflected in genetic data. Inferring these relationships from genetic data,
however, remains a challenging task. In this paper, we present a statistical
model for inferring the patterns of population splits and mixtures in multiple
populations. In this model, the sampled populations in a species are related to
their common ancestor through a graph of ancestral populations. Using
genome-wide allele frequency data and a Gaussian approximation to genetic
drift, we infer the structure of this graph. We applied this method to a set of
55 human populations and a set of 82 dog breeds and wild canids. In both
species, we show that a simple bifurcating tree does not fully describe the
data; in contrast, we infer many migration events. While some of the migration
events that we find have been detected previously, many have not. For example,
in the human data we infer that Cambodians trace approximately 16% of their
ancestry to a population ancestral to other extant East Asian populations. In
the dog data, we infer that both the boxer and basenji trace a considerable
fraction of their ancestry (9% and 25%, respectively) to wolves subsequent to
domestication, and that East Asian toy breeds (the Shih Tzu and the Pekingese)
result from admixture between modern toy breeds and "ancient" Asian breeds.
Software implementing the model described here, called TreeMix, is available at
http://treemix.googlecode.comComment: 28 pages, 6 figures in main text. Attached supplement is 22 pages, 15
figures. This is an updated version of the preprint available at
http://precedings.nature.com/documents/6956/version/
Fairy Tales: Attraction and Stereotypes in Same-Gender Relationships
We examine the process of romantic attraction in same-gender relationships using open and closed-ended questionnaire data from a sample of 120 men and women in Northern California. Agreeableness (e.g., kind, supportive) and Extraversion (e.g., fun, sense of humor) are the two most prominent bases of attraction, followed by Physical Attractiveness (e.g., appearance, sexy). The least important attractors represent traits associated with material success (e.g., financially secure, nice house). We also find evidence of seemingly contradictory attraction processes documented previously in heterosexual romantic relationships, in which individuals become disillusioned with the qualities in a partner that were initially appealing. Our findings challenge common stereotypes of same-gender relationships. The results document broad similarities between same-gender and cross-gender couples in attraction
Intrinsic activity in the fly brain gates visual information during behavioral choices
The small insect brain is often described as an input/output system that executes reflex-like behaviors. It can also initiate neural activity and behaviors intrinsically, seen as spontaneous behaviors, different arousal states and sleep. However, less is known about how intrinsic activity in neural circuits affects sensory information processing in the insect brain and variability in behavior. Here, by simultaneously monitoring Drosophila's behavioral choices and brain activity in a flight simulator system, we identify intrinsic activity that is associated with the act of selecting between visual stimuli. We recorded neural output (multiunit action potentials and local field potentials) in the left and right optic lobes of a tethered flying Drosophila, while its attempts to follow visual motion (yaw torque) were measured by a torque meter. We show that when facing competing motion stimuli on its left and right, Drosophila typically generate large torque responses that flip from side to side. The delayed onset (0.1-1 s) and spontaneous switch-like dynamics of these responses, and the fact that the flies sometimes oppose the stimuli by flying straight, make this behavior different from the classic steering reflexes. Drosophila, thus, seem to choose one stimulus at a time and attempt to rotate toward its direction. With this behavior, the neural output of the optic lobes alternates; being augmented on the side chosen for body rotation and suppressed on the opposite side, even though the visual input to the fly eyes stays the same. Thus, the flow of information from the fly eyes is gated intrinsically. Such modulation can be noise-induced or intentional; with one possibility being that the fly brain highlights chosen information while ignoring the irrelevant, similar to what we know to occur in higher animals
Negative parental responses to coming out and family functioning in a sample of lesbian and gay young adults
Parental responses to youths' coming out (CO) are crucial to the subsequent adjustment of children and family. The present study investigated the negative parental reaction to the disclosure of same-sex attraction and the differences between maternal
and paternal responses, as reported by their homosexual daughters and sons. Participants' perceptions of their parents' reactions (evaluated through the Perceived Parental Reactions Scale, PPRS), age at coming out, gender, parental political
orientation, and religiosity involvement, the family functioning (assessed through the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, FACES IV), were assessed in 164 Italian gay and lesbian young adults. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relation between family functioning and parental reaction to CO. The paired sample t-test was used to compare mothers and fathers' scores on the PPRS. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to analyze the relevance of each variable. No differences were found between mothers and fathers in their reaction to the disclosure. The analysis showed that a negative reaction to coming out was predicted by parents' right-wing political conservatism, strong religious beliefs, and
higher scores in the scales Rigid and Enmeshed. Findings confirm that a negative parental reaction is the result of poor family resources to face a stressful situation and a strong belief in traditional values. These results have important implications in both clinical and social fields
Systematic review of communication technologies to promote access and engagement of young people with diabetes into healthcare
Background: Research has investigated whether communication technologies (e.g. mobile telephony, forums,
email) can be used to transfer digital information between healthcare professionals and young people who live
with diabetes. The systematic review evaluates the effectiveness and impact of these technologies on
communication.
Methods: Nine electronic databases were searched. Technologies were described and a narrative synthesis of all
studies was undertaken.
Results: Of 20,925 publications identified, 19 met the inclusion criteria, with 18 technologies assessed. Five
categories of communication technologies were identified: video-and tele-conferencing (n = 2); mobile telephony
(n = 3); telephone support (n = 3); novel electronic communication devices for transferring clinical information (n =
10); and web-based discussion boards (n = 1). Ten studies showed a positive improvement in HbA1c following the
intervention with four studies reporting detrimental increases in HbA1c levels. In fifteen studies communication
technologies increased the frequency of contact between patient and healthcare professional. Findings were
inconsistent of an association between improvements in HbA1c and increased contact. Limited evidence was
available concerning behavioural and care coordination outcomes, although improvement in quality of life, patientcaregiver
interaction, self-care and metabolic transmission were reported for some communication technologies.
Conclusions: The breadth of study design and types of technologies reported make the magnitude of benefit and
their effects on health difficult to determine. While communication technologies may increase the frequency of
contact between patient and health care professional, it remains unclear whether this results in improved
outcomes and is often the basis of the intervention itself. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness
and cost effectiveness of increasing the use of communication technologies between young people and
healthcare professionals
Average distances on self-similar sets and higher order average distances of self-similar measures
The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) we study different notions of the average distance between two points of a self-similar subset of ℝ, and (2) we investigate the asymptotic behaviour of higher order average moments of self-similar measures on self-similar subsets of ℝ
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