488 research outputs found
Comparing the benefits of parent-infant flute and singing groups for communication and parenting: A feasibility study
There is growing evidence highlighting benefits of musical exposure and participation on several aspects of development and parenting. Aiming to establish a rigorous protocol allowing researchers to study different types of musical interactions and their benefits on the development of early communication, the present study explored parents’ experiences of musically engaging with their infants in different types of music groups. Twenty-five infants and their parents were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) singing, (2) flute playing or (3) control group. Music sessions were held weekly for 14 weeks and were followed by the home use of the recorded routines specific of each group, for further three months. Semi structured interviews were conducted with the experimental groups’ participants, and pre/post quantitative developmental measures were collected from all groups, to assess participants’ compliance. Qualitative analyses of the interviews revealed both shared themes, (communication enhancement, enjoyment and regulation); and unique themes (creativity and freedom in the flute group; familiarity and responsiveness in the singing group). The feasibility study was successful in establishing a workable protocol to use in RCT longitudinal interventions aiming to examine how specific aspects of the musical experience might differentially support developmental outcomes, in parent-infant groups
The soundscape of neonatal intensive care: a mixed-methods study of the parents’ experience
Parents who have infants hospitalised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) experience high levels of stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, whether sounds contribute to parents’ stress remains largely unknown. Critically, researchers lack a com-prehensive instrument to investigate the relationship between sounds in NICUs and parental stress. To address this gap, this report presents the “Soundscape of NICU Questionnaire” (SON-Q), which was developed specifically to capture parents’ perceptions and beliefs about the impact that sound had on them and their infants, from pre-birth throughout the NICU stay and in the first postdischarge period. Parents of children born preterm (n = 386) completed the SON-Q and the Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire (PPQ). Principal Component Analysis identifying underly-ing dimensions comprising the parental experience of the NICU soundscape was followed by an exploration of the relationships between subscales of the SON-Q and the PPQ. Moderation analy-sis was carried out to further elucidate relationships between variables. Finally, thematic analy-sis was employed to analyse one memory of sounds in NICU open question. The results highlight systematic associations between aspects of the NICU soundscape and parental stress/trauma. The findings underscore the importance of developing specific studies in this area and devising inter-ventions to best support parents’ mental health, which could in turn support infants’ develop-mental outcomes
Kondo Effect in Defect-bound Quantum Dots Coupled to NbSe
We report the fabrication of a van der Waals tunneling device hosting a
defect-bound quantum dot coupled to NbSe. We find that upon application of
magnetic field, the device exhibits a zero-bias conductance peak. The peak,
which splits at higher fields, is associated with a Kondo effect. At the same
time, the junction retains conventional quasiparticle tunneling features at
finite bias. Such coexistence of a superconducting gap and a Kondo effect are
unusual, and are explained by noting the two-gap nature of the superconducting
state of NbSe, where a magnetic field suppresses the low energy gap
associated with the Se band. Our data shows that van der Waals architectures,
and defect-bound dots in them, can serve as a novel and effective platform for
investigating the interplay of Kondo screening and superconducting pairing in
unconventional superconductors
Global Journalist: GJ talks lessons learned by foreign journalists at MU Journalism Program
This May 15, 2003 program of Global Journalist featured guest host Byron Scott speaking with three international journalists who spent the last year learning about American media at the Missouri School of Journalism through the Humphrey Fellowship Program. Host: Byron Scott. Guests: Rosia Cattell, Milena diMitrova, Rashid Hadar. Producers: Jeff Stone. Directors: Mary Fornesa
High and Low Dimensions in The Black Hole Negative Mode
The negative mode of the Schwarzschild black hole is central to Euclidean
quantum gravity around hot flat space and for the Gregory-Laflamme black string
instability. We analyze the eigenvalue as a function of space-time dimension by
constructing two perturbative expansions: one for large d and the other for
small d-3, and determining as many coefficients as we are able to compute
analytically. Joining the two expansions we obtain an interpolating rational
function accurate to better than 2% through the whole range of dimensions
including d=4.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. v2: added reference. v3: published versio
Minocycline rescues decrease in neurogenesis, increase in microglia cytokines and deficits in sensorimotor gating in an animal model of schizophrenia
Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is impaired in schizophrenic patients and in an animal model of schizophrenia. Amongst a plethora of regulators, the immune system has been shown repeatedly to strongly modulate neurogenesis under physiological and pathological conditions. It is well accepted, that schizophrenic patients have an aberrant peripheral immune status, which is also reflected in the animal model. The microglia as the intrinsic immune competent cells of the brain have recently come into focus as possible therapeutic targets in schizophrenia. We here used a maternal immune stimulation rodent model of schizophrenia in which polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid (Poly I:C) was injected into pregnant rats to mimic an anti-viral immune response. We identified microglia IL-1{beta} and TNF-{alpha} increase constituting the factors correlating best with decreases in net-neurogenesis and impairment in pre-pulse inhibition of a startle response in the Poly I:C model. Treatment with the antibiotic minocycline (3mg/kg/day) normalized microglial cytokine production in the hippocampus and rescued neurogenesis and behavior. We could also show that enhanced microglial TNF-{alpha} and IL-1{beta} production in the hippocampus was accompanied by a decrease in the pro-proliferative TNFR2 receptor expression on neuronal progenitor cells, which could be attenuated by minocycline. These findings strongly support the idea to use anti-inflammatory drugs to target microglia activation as an adjunctive therapy in schizophrenic patients
The sensory feedback mechanisms enabling couples to walk synchronously: An initial investigation
The inattentive eye often will not notice it, but synchronization among human walking partners is quite common. In this first investigation of this phenomenon, we studied its frequency and the mechanisms that contribute to this form of "entrainment." Specifically, by modifying the available communication links between two walking partners, we isolated the feedback mechanisms that enable couples to synchronize their stepping pattern when they walk side-by-side. Although subjects were unaware of the research aims and were not specifically asked to walk in synchrony, we observed synchronized walking in almost 50% of the walking trials, among couples who do not usually walk together. The strongest in-phase synchrony occurred in the presence of tactile feedback (i.e., handholding), perhaps because of lower and upper extremity coupling driven in part by arm swing. Interestingly, however, even in the absence of visual or auditory communication, couples also frequently walked in synchrony while 180 degrees out-of-phase, likely using different feedback mechanisms. These findings may partially explain how patients with certain gait disorders and disturbed rhythm enhance their gait when they walk with a partner and suggest alternative interventions that might improve the stepping pattern. Further, this preliminary investigation highlights the relatively ubiquitous nature of an interesting phenomenon that has not previously been studied and suggests that further work is needed to better understand the mechanisms that entrain the gait of two walking partners and allows couples to walk in synchrony with minimal or no conscious effort
Hidden spin-texture at topological domain walls drive exchange bias in a Weyl semimetal
Exchange bias is a phenomenon critical to solid-state technologies that
require spin valves or non-volatile magnetic memory. The phenomenon is usually
studied in the context of magnetic interfaces between antiferromagnets and
ferromagnets, where the exchange field of the former acts as a means to pin the
polarization of the latter. In the present study, we report an unusual instance
of this phenomenon in the topological Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2, where the
magnetic interfaces associated with domain walls suffice to bias the entire
ferromagnetic bulk. Remarkably, our data suggests the presence of a hidden
order parameter whose behavior can be independently tuned by applied magnetic
fields. For micron-size samples, the domain walls are absent, and the exchange
bias vanishes, suggesting the boundaries are a source of pinned uncompensated
moment arising from the hidden order. The novelty of this mechanism suggests
exciting opportunities lie ahead for the application of topological materials
in spintronic technologies.Comment: Main text: 11 pages, 4 figures. Supplementary information: 7 pages, 6
figures. Supplementary videos:
Recommended from our members
Benzodiazepines for psychosis-induced aggression or agitation
YesCochrane Incentive Grant from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR
- …