Collaborative Research to Assess Visitor Impacts on Alaska Native Practices along Alagnak Wild River

As one of the region’s famously productive salmon rivers, the Alagnak’s banks historically were lined with villages of both Yup’ik and Alutiiq residents, and archaeological data document millennia of human occupation

Development and validation of the child post-traumatic cognitions inventory (CPTCI)

Background: Negative trauma-related cognitions have been found to be a significant factor in the maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. Initial studies of such appraisals in trauma-exposed children and adolescents suggest that this is an important line of research in youth, yet empirically validated measures for use with younger populations are lacking. A measure of negative trauma-related cognitions for use with children and adolescents, the Child Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory (CPTCI), is presented. The measure was devised as an age-appropriate version of the adult Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory (Foa et al., 1999). Methods: The CPTCI was developed and validated within a large (n = 570) sample, comprising community and trauma-exposed samples of children and adolescents aged 6-18 years. Results: Principal components analysis suggested a two-component structure. These components were labelled 'permanent and disturbing change' and 'fragile person in a scary world', and were each found to possess good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminative validity. The reliability and validity of these sub-scales was present regardless of whether the measure was completed in the acute phase or several months after a trauma. Scores on these sub-scales did not vary with age. Conclusions: The CPTCI is a reliable and valid measure that is not specific to the type of trauma exposure, and shows considerable promise as a research and clinical tool. The structure of this measure suggests that appraisals concerning the more abstract consequences of a trauma, as well as physical threat and vulnerability, are pertinent factors in trauma-exposed children and adolescents, even prepubescent children

Are parental concerns for child TV viewing associated with child TV viewing and the home sedentary environment?

BackgroundTime spent watching television affects multiple aspects of child and adolescent health. Although a diverse range of factors have been found to be associated with young people\u27s television viewing, parents and the home environment are particularly influential. However, little is known about whether parents, particularly those who are concerned about their child\u27s television viewing habits, translate their concern into action by providing supportive home environments (e.g. rules restricting screen-time behaviours, limited access to screen-based media). The aim of this study was to examine associations between parental concerns for child television viewing and child television viewing and the home sedentary environment.MethodsParents of children aged 5-6 years (\u27younger\u27 children, n = 430) and 10-12 years (\u27older children\u27, n = 640) reported usual duration of their child\u27s television (TV) viewing, their concerns regarding the amount of time their child spends watching TV, and on aspects of the home environment. Regression analyses examined associations between parental concern and child TV viewing, and between parental concern and aspects of the home environment. Analyses were stratified by age group.ResultsChildren of concerned parents watched more TV than those whose parents were not concerned (B = 9.63, 95% CI = 1.58-17.68, p = 0.02 and B = 15.82, 95% CI = 8.85-22.80, p &lt; 0.01, for younger and older children respectively). Parental concern was positively associated with younger children eating dinner in front of the television, and with parental restriction of sedentary behaviours and offering sedentary activities (i.e. TV viewing or computer use) as a reward for good behaviour among older and young children. Furthermore, parents of older children who were concerned had fewer televisions in the home and a lower count of sedentary equipment in the home.ConclusionsChildren of concerned parents watched more TV than those whose parents who were not concerned. Parents appear to recognise excessive television viewing in their children and these parents appear to engage in conflicting parental approaches despite these concerns. Interventions targeting concerned parents may be an innovative way of reaching children most in need of strategies to reduce their television viewing and harnessing this parental concern may offer considerable opportunity to change the family and home environment.<br /

Mediators of the relationship between maternal education and children\u27s TV viewing

Background: Maternal education is consistently found to be inversely related to children&rsquo;s television viewing and is associated with aspects of the family television environment. This study investigates whether family television environment mediates the relationship between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing.Methods: Parents of 1484 children reported maternal education, time their child spends watching television, and 21 aspects of the family television environment (potential mediators) during 2002 and 2003. Separate regression analyses were conducted in 2006 for each potential mediator that met two initial conditions for mediation (associated with both maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing (p&lt;0.10)), to assess whether inclusion reduced the association between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing. Multivariable regression assessed the combined impact of all mediators.Results: Twelve of 21 potential mediators met the initial conditions for mediation. Inclusion of each resulted in decreased &beta; values (3.2% to 15.2%) for the association between maternal education and television viewing. Number and placement of televisions in the home appeared to have the greatest mediating effect, followed by frequency of eating dinner in front of the television with the child and rules about television viewing during mealtimes. Together, the 12 mediators accounted for more than one-third of the association between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing time.Conclusions: This study suggests the strong inverse relationship between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing is partly mediated by aspects of the family television environment.<br /

Emotional Abilities in Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): Impairments in Perspective-Taking and Understanding Mixed Emotions are Associated with High Callous-Unemotional Traits

Most studies of emotion abilities in disruptive children focus on emotion expression recognition. This study compared 74 children aged 4-8 years with ODD to 45 comparison children (33 healthy; 12 with an anxiety disorder) on behaviourally assessed measures of emotion perception, emotion perspective-taking, knowledge of emotions causes and understanding ambivalent emotions and on parent-reported cognitive and affective empathy. Adjusting for child's sex, age and expressive language ODD children showed a paucity in attributing causes to emotions but no other deficits relative to the comparison groups. ODD boys with high levels of callous-unemotional traits (CU) (n = 22) showed deficits relative to low CU ODD boys (n = 25) in emotion perspective-taking and in understanding ambivalent emotions. Low CU ODD boys did not differ from the healthy typically developing boys (n = 12). Impairments in emotion perceptive-taking and understanding mixed emotions in ODD boys are associated with the presence of a high level of CU

Prevalence and stability of active play, restricted movement and television viewing in infants

This study describes engagement in and stability of physical activity and sedentary behaviours in early life, and assesses associations with sex, maternal education and developmental stage. Maternal-report data at child age 4, 9 and 20 months were collected from 542 families in the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial Program. Parents estimated average time per day their child spent in active pursuits or pursuits that restricted movement. With increasing age, children generally spent more time in active pursuits and watching television, and less time in situations that restrict movement. Associations were found with age of developmental milestone attainment but not sex or maternal education. Stability over time was strongest for television viewing (&beta; = 0.34&ndash;0.38) and time spent outdoors (&beta; = 0.27&ndash;0.33). Contrary to guidelines, television viewing increased and showed stability, suggesting a need to target this behaviour very early in life to achieve optimal longer term outcomes

Early childhood predictors of toddlers\u27 physical activity: longitudinal findings from the Melbourne InFANT program

Background:&nbsp;Young children are at risk of not meeting physical activity recommendations. Identifying factors from&nbsp;the first year of life which influence toddlers&rsquo; physical activity levels may help to develop targeted intervention&nbsp;strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine early childhood predictors of toddlers&rsquo; physical activity across&nbsp;the domains of maternal beliefs and behaviours, infant behaviours and the home environment.&nbsp;Methods: Data from 206 toddlers (53% male) participating in the Melbourne InFANT Program were collected in 2008&ndash;2010 and analysed in 2012. Mothers completed a survey of physical activity predictors when their child was 4- (T1) and&nbsp;9- months old (T2). Physical activity was assessed by ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers at 19- months (T3) of age.Results: One infant behaviour at T1 and one maternal belief and two infant behaviours at T2 showed associations with&nbsp;physical activity at T3 and were included in multivariate analyses. After adjusting for the age at which the child started&nbsp;walking and maternal education, the time spent with babies of a similar age at 4-months (&beta; = 0.06, 95% CI [0.02, 0.10])&nbsp;and the time spent being physically active with their mother at 9-months (&beta; = 0.06, 95% CI [0.01, 0.12]) predicted&nbsp;children&rsquo;s physical activity at 19-months of age.&nbsp;Conclusions: Promotion of peer-interactions and maternal-child co-participation in physical activity could serve as a&nbsp;health promotion strategy to increase physical activity in young children. Future research is required to identify other&nbsp;early life predictors not assessed in this study and to examine whether these factors predict physical activity in later life&nbsp;stages.</div

Cell Cycle-Dependent Localization of Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channels and the Mitotic Apparatus in a Neuroendocrine Cell Line(AtT-20)

Changes in intracellular calcium are necessary for the successful progression of mitosis in many cells. Both elevation and reduction in intracellular calcium can disrupt mitosis by mechanisms that remain ill defined. In this study we explore the role of transmembrane voltage-gated calcium channels (CaV channels) as regulators of mitosis in the mouse corticotroph cell line (AtT-20). We report that the nifedipine-sensitive isoform CaV1.2 is localized to the “poleward side” of kinetechores during metaphase and at the midbody during cytokinesis. A second nifedipine-sensitive isoform, CaV1.3, is present at the mid-spindle zone in telophase, but is also seen at the midbody. Nifedipine reduces the rate of cell proliferation, and, utilizing time-lapse microscopy, we show that this is due to a block at the prometaphase stage of the cell cycle. Using Fluo-4 we detect calcium fluxes at sites corresponding to the mid-spindle zone and the midbody region. Another calcium dye, Fura PE3/AM, causes an inhibition of mitosis prior to anaphase that we attribute to a chelation of intracellular calcium. Our results demonstrate a novel, isoform-specific localization of CaV1 channels during cell division and suggest a possible role for these channels in the calcium-dependent events underlying mitotic progression in pituitary corticotrophs

Tracking of maternal self-efficacy for limiting young children\u27s television viewing and associations with children\u27s television viewing time: a longitudinal analysis over 15-months

BACKGROUND: Mothers\u27 self-efficacy for limiting their children\u27s television viewing is an important correlate of this behaviour in young children. However, no studies have examined how maternal self-efficacy changes over time, which is potentially important during periods of rapid child development. This study examined tracking of maternal self-efficacy for limiting young children\u27s television viewing over 15-months and associations with children\u27s television viewing time. METHODS: In 2008 and 2010, mothers (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;404) from the Melbourne InFANT Program self-reported their self-efficacy for limiting their child\u27s television viewing at 4- and 19-months of age. Tertiles of self-efficacy were created at each time and categorised into: persistently high, persistently low, increasing or decreasing self-efficacy. Weighted kappa and multinomial logistic regression examined tracking and demographic and behavioural predictors of change in self-efficacy. A linear regression model examined associations between tracking categories and children\u27s television viewing time. RESULTS: Tracking of maternal self-efficacy for limiting children\u27s television viewing was low (kappa&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.23, p&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.001). Mothers who had persistently high or increasing self-efficacy had children with lower television viewing time at 19-months (&beta;&thinsp;=&thinsp;-35.5; 95 % CI&thinsp;=&thinsp;-54.4,-16.6 and &beta;&thinsp;=&thinsp;37.0; 95 % CI&thinsp;=&thinsp;-54.4,-19.7, respectively). Mothers of children with difficult temperaments were less likely to have persistently high self-efficacy. Mothers who met adult physical activity guidelines had 2.5 greater odds of increasing self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to increase and maintain maternal self-efficacy for limiting children\u27s television viewing time may result in lower rates of this behaviour amongst toddlers. Maternal and child characteristics may need to be considered when tailoring interventions