Measuring personality traits in the classroom.

In this article, a personality model for the description of children’s classroom behaviour is the main focus of interest. It is questioned whether the Five-Factor Personality Model can be used as an organizational structure for the description of personality characteristics in the field of educational practice. Two groups of Dutch school children (N 1296 and N 367), 4–12 years old, were rated by their teachers on scales of the School Behaviour Checklist–Revised (SCHOBL-R1). Analysis of the scales produced four meaningful and identical components in both samples: Extraversion, Attitude towards School Work, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability. The factorial structure of the scales remained stable over age as well as sex. Boys and girls were rated by their teachers as having dierent attitudes towards school work, and as diering on emotional stability and agreeableness. The items of the school behaviour checklist were then analysed in the context of other personality scales, leading to the conclusion that the four scales of the SCHOBL-R can be interpreted in terms of four of the five personality dimensions of the Five-Factor Model. The strong relationship between the contents o

Effects of Micronutrients during Pregnancy and Early Infancy on Mental and Psychomotor Development

Spectacular progress has been made in the last decades in the global fight against deficiencies of iodine and vitamin A [1]. As a result, the number of people suffering from iodine deficiency has been reduced from about 1.5 billion in 1990 to about 0.5 billion now, almost entirely due to the introduction in many countries of what has been termed ‘universal salt iodization’. In addition, approximately one million child deaths may have been prevented between 1998 and 2000 by vitamin A supplementation [2]. The political and financial commitment that has allowed these achievements has been generated to a large extent by scientific studies that have shown the extent of human suffering caused by these deficiencies, and that have determined the potential health gains of interventions. Progress in eliminating deficiencies of other micronutrients, notably iron, has been much slower. About two billion people, or about one third of the human population, continue to suffer from iron deficiency. Iron supplementation programs have been advocated for infants and preschool children, largely because of concerns of possible adverse effects of iron deficiency on mental and motor development. Similar concerns were instrumental in establishing salt iodization programs. The questions that will be addressed in this chapter concern the extent to which a shortage of iodine and iron during fetal and infant development impairs mental development, and the extent to which this impairment can be redressed by increasing the intake of these micronutrients. First, the stages of brain development in the fetus and infant will be addressed, followed by an assessment of the timing of vulnerable periods when the brain of the fetus and infant is at high risk of exposure to an inadequate supply of iodine or iron. Where possible, the mechanisms involved will be discussed. Then, observational and intervention studies will be reviewed that have examined the effect of deficiencies of iodine or iron on mental development. Approximately half of the world’s population may be at risk of low zinc intake [3]. Given this high prevalence, inconclusive but mounting evidence that zinc deficiency during pregnancy may possibly impair the infant’s neurobehavioral development and immune function should also raise great concern [4–10]. However, because of space limitations, such effects and those of other micronutrients [11] will not be reviewed in the present report

Serum bile acids associate with liver volume in polycystic liver disease and decrease upon treatment with lanreotide

Background: Polycystic liver disease (PLD) is a common extrarenal manifestation of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Bile acids may play a role in PLD pathogenesis. We performed a post-hoc exploratory analysis of bile acids in ADPKD patients, who had participated in a trial on the effect of a somatostatin analogue. Our hypothesis was that serum bile acid levels increase in PLD, and that lanreotide, which reduces liver growth, may also reduce bile acid levels. Furthermore, in PLD, urinary excretion of bile acids might contribute to renal disease. Methods:With liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 11 bile acids in serum and 6 in urine were quantified in 105 PLD ADPKD patients and 52 age-, sex-, mutation- and eGFR-matched non-PLD ADPKD patients. Sampling was done at baseline and after 120 weeks of either lanreotide or standard care. Results: Baseline serum levels of taurine- and glycine-conjugated bile acids were higher in patients with larger livers. In PLD patients, multiple bile acids decreased upon treatment with lanreotide but remained stable in untreated subjects. Changes over time did not correlate with changes in liver volume. Urine bile acid levels did not change and did not correlate with renal disease progression. Conclusion: In ADPKD patients with PLD, baseline serum bile acids were associated with liver volume. Lanreotide reduced bile acid levels and has previously been shown to reduce liver volume. However, in this study, the decrease in bile acids was not associated with the change in liver volume.</p

Serum bile acids associate with liver volume in polycystic liver disease and decrease upon treatment with lanreotide

Background: Polycystic liver disease (PLD) is a common extrarenal manifestation of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Bile acids may play a role in PLD pathogenesis. We performed a post-hoc exploratory analysis of bile acids in ADPKD patients, who had participated in a trial on the effect of a somatostatin analogue. Our hypothesis was that serum bile acid levels increase in PLD, and that lanreotide, which reduces liver growth, may also reduce bile acid levels. Furthermore, in PLD, urinary excretion of bile acids might contribute to renal disease. Methods:With liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 11 bile acids in serum and 6 in urine were quantified in 105 PLD ADPKD patients and 52 age-, sex-, mutation- and eGFR-matched non-PLD ADPKD patients. Sampling was done at baseline and after 120 weeks of either lanreotide or standard care. Results: Baseline serum levels of taurine- and glycine-conjugated bile acids were higher in patients with larger livers. In PLD patients, multiple bile acids decreased upon treatment with lanreotide but remained stable in untreated subjects. Changes over time did not correlate with changes in liver volume. Urine bile acid levels did not change and did not correlate with renal disease progression. Conclusion: In ADPKD patients with PLD, baseline serum bile acids were associated with liver volume. Lanreotide reduced bile acid levels and has previously been shown to reduce liver volume. However, in this study, the decrease in bile acids was not associated with the change in liver volume.</p

Anxiety and Depression in Early Gestation and the Association with Subsequent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in a Disadvantaged Population

Published online: 12 October 2023Objectives: Evaluate the association between poor mental health and risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a cohort of women from a socioeconomically disadvantaged community. Methods: A total of 1363 nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies recruited to the Screening Tests to Predict Poor Outcomes of Pregnancy study in Adelaide, Australia. Women were assessed for mental health in the first trimester, including likelihood of depression, high functioning anxiety, perceived stress and risk of developing a mental health disorder. GDM was diagnosed based on the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria. Socioeconomic status was measured using the New Zealand Socioeconomic Index (NZSEI). Results: Complete mental health data was available for 1281 participants. There was no statistically significant difference in SEI, depression, risk of mental health issues, high functioning anxiety and perceived stress between women who developed GDM and those who did not. There was no difference in history of depression nor risk of developing a high mental health disorder in first trimester after adjusting for SEI, BMI in first trimester, smoking status in first trimester and maternal age between women with a GDM pregnancy and those who did not. Conclusions for Practice: There was no difference in markers of poor mental health in early pregnancy between women who subsequently did or did not develop GDM. Cohort participants were socioeconomically disadvantaged, potentially contributing to the lack of apparent differences in depression observed between groups. Socioeconomically disadvantaged women should be targeted in pre-conception planning to reduce risk of GDM.Maleesa M. Pathirana, Prabha H. Andraweera, Shalem Leemaqz, Emily Aldridge, Margaret A. Arstall, Gustaaf A. Dekker, Claire T. Robert

Universality of Frequency and Field Scaling of the Conductivity Measured by Ac-Susceptibility of a Ybco-Film

Utilizing a novel and exact inversion scheme, we determine the complex linear conductivity $\sigma (\omega )$ from the linear magnetic ac-susceptibility which has been measured from 3\,mHz to 50\,MHz in fields between 0.4\,T and 4\,T applied parallel to the c-axis of a 250\,nm thin disk. The frequency derivative of the phase $\sigma ''/\sigma '$ and the dynamical scaling of $\sigma (\omega)$ above and below $T_g(B)$ provide clear evidence for a continuous phase transition at $T_g$ to a generic superconducting state. Based on the vortex-glass scaling model, the resulting critical exponents $\nu$ and $z$ are close to those frequently obtained on films by other means and associated with an 'isotropic' vortex glass. The field effect on $\sigma(\omega)$ can be related to the increase of the glass coherence length, $\xi_g\sim B$.Comment: 8 pages (5 figures upon request), revtex 3.0, APK.94.01.0

Early pregnancy cardio metabolic risk factors and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome 10 years after the first pregnancy

Background We aimed to compare risk factors for CVD 10 years postpartum among women who had ≥ 1 compared to no cardio metabolic risk factor in early first pregnancy. Methods Women of the SCOPE (Screening fOr Pregnancy Endpoints) study from Adelaide, South Australia were invited to participate in a cardiovascular risk assessment 10 years after the delivery of the first child. Data from 141 women who completed all the assessments are included in the analyses. Result Compared to women who did not have any cardio metabolic risk factor at 15 ± 1 weeks’ gestation during the first pregnancy, those who had ≥ 1 risk factor were 5.5 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome 10 years postpartum (aOR = 5.5, 95% CI 1.8–17.3, p = 0.004). Women who had ≥ 1cardio metabolic risk factor during the first pregnancy were more likely to be obese (p = 0.001), have high total cholesterol levels (p <0.001) or have increased insulin resistance (p <0.001) 10 years later compared to women who had no risk factor during the first pregnancy. 63.5% of the women with no cardio metabolic risk factor compared to 39% of women who had ≥ 1 risk factor in first pregnancy, had neither a complicated first pregnancy nor was diagnosed with MetS 10 years postpartum (p = 0.023). Conclusion Cardio metabolic risk factors at the booking visit in the first pregnancy may be useful in identifying young women at risk of future CVD.Prabha H. Andraweera, Michelle D. Plummer, Amy Garrett, Shalem Leemaqz, Melanie R. Wittwer, Emily Aldridge, Maleesa M. Pathirana, Gus A. Dekker, Claire T. Roberts, Margaret A. Arstal

Gestational diabetes mellitus and cardio-metabolic risk factors in women and children at 3 years postpartum

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is thought to be associated with cardio-metabolic risk factor development in women and their children during the early postpartum period and early childhood. We hypothesized that these women and their children would exhibit increased abnormal cardio-metabolic risk factors three years after pregnancy. Methods: Women from the Screening Tests to Predict Poor Outcomes of Pregnancy study were invited to attend a followup with the child from their index pregnancy at 3 years postpartum. Women and children were assessed for anthropometric measures and haemodynamic function. Fasting blood samples were obtained from women to assess lipid and glucose status. Results: A total of 281 woman-child dyads participated in the 3-year follow-up, with 40 women developing GDM during their index pregnancy. Fasting serum insulin was higher in women with GDM in index pregnancy compared to those with an uncomplicated pregnancy. However, this association was mediated by early pregnancy BMI and socioeconomic index (SEI). The rate of metabolic syndrome was higher in the GDM group than the uncomplicated pregnancy group. Maternal GDM was associated with elevated maternal fasting serum triglycerides at 3 years after adjustment for early pregnancy BMI and SEI. Children exposed to GDM in utero had higher waist circumference compared to children born after an uncomplicated pregnancy, but this is mediated the above covariates. Conclusion: Exposure to GDM is associated with elevated serum triglycerides in women at 3 years postpartum but other cardiometabolic outcomes in women and children appear to be mediated by early pregnancy BMI and SEI.Maleesa M. Pathirana, Prabha H. Andraweera, Emily Aldridge, Shalem Y. Leemaqz, Madeline Harrison, Jade Harrison, Petra E. Verburg, Margaret A. Arstall, Gustaaf A. Dekker, Claire T. Robert

Vortex dynamics and states of artificially layered superconducting films with correlated defects

Linear resistances and $IV$-characteristics have been measured over a wide range in the parameter space of the mixed phase of multilayered a-TaGe/Ge films. Three films with varying interlayer coupling and correlated defects oriented at an angle $\approx 25$ from the film normal were investigated. Experimental data were analyzed within vortex glass models and a second order phase transition from a resistive vortex liquid to a pinned glass phase. Various vortex phases including changes from three to two dimensional behavior depending on anisotropy have been identified. Careful analysis of $IV$-characteristics in the glass phases revealed a distinctive $T$ and $H$-dependence of the glass exponent $\mu$. The vortex dynamics in the Bose-glass phase does not follow the predicted behavior for excitations of vortex kinks or loops.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, 3 table