Understanding of intentionality in children with Williams syndrome and Down syndrome, The

2012 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation examined the development of the understanding of intentionality in two different neurogenetic disorders, Williams syndrome (WS) and Down syndrome (DS). The study of intentionality focuses on how children come to understand the intentions of others. Meltzoff's (1995) behavioral reenactment paradigm is a nonverbal procedure wherein a child is presented with a series of objects. Prior to each presentation, the examiner either performs a successful action (e.g. the target action) or an unsuccessful action (e.g. the failed intentional action). A child's understanding of intentionality is assessed by their ability to interpret the experimenter's intention during failed attempt trials, and their subsequent completion of the task. This examination of intentionality was divided into two studies. Study 1 was designed to test Tager-Flusberg and Sullivan's (2000) hypothesis that there is a dissociation between social-perceptual abilities and social-cognitive abilities in individuals with Williams syndrome. In order to explore this dissociation, the behavioral reenactment procedure was administered with and without experimenter affective cues. Participants were 25 children with a confirmed diagnosis of WS. There were two groups of WS, one that received affective cues (N=13) and one that did not (N=12). Also, children with WS in the no affect group were compared to 12 mental-age matched children with developmental disabilities. The findings of this study indicates that the understanding of intentionality improves with developmental status in children with WS. Also, this study indicates that there may be a dissociation between social-perceptual and social-cognitive skills in this population during early social-emotional development. Specifically, it seems that the presence of emotional cues during intersubjective tasks leads to an emotional response instead of a response based on social cognition. Study 2 was motivated by past research suggesting that children with DS demonstrate deficits in some aspects of social cognition, even though many children with DS have strengths in other aspects of social-emotional functioning. Therefore, it is likely that the understanding of intentionality in children with Down syndrome may be influenced by other foundational cognitive abilities (i.e. joint attention and affect sharing in early childhood and executive functioning in middle childhood). Participants were 40 children with a confirmed diagnosis of Down syndrome, 16 young children with DS and 24 older children with DS. In addition, the 16 young children with DS were compared to 16 mental-age matched children with other developmental disabilities. The results of this study suggests that the understanding of intentionality improves with developmental status for young children with DS. This study also suggest that difficulties in joint attention and EF lead children with DS to miss the target relevant information during the behavioral reenactment procedure leading them to perform more "other actions". This dissertation is the first study to examine the development of intentionality in WS and DS. From these studies, it may be possible to begin to characterize how the understanding of intentionality develops in children with WS and DS. Characterizing social cognition in WS and DS will help to identify areas for targeted intervention to prevent the possible cascading effects of difficulties in social cognition on other aspects of development

Response to “Cortisol in Human Milk: The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly?”

A response to Finken et al.\u27s Cortisol in Human Milk: The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly? , a critique of the authors\u27 previous article Cortisol in human milk predicts child BMI

Infants' implicit rhyme perception in child songs and Its relationship with vocabulary

Rhyme perception is an important predictor for future literacy. Assessing rhyme abilities, however, commonly requires children to make explicit rhyme judgements on single words. Here we explored whether infants already implicitly process rhymes in natural rhyming contexts (child songs) and whether this response correlates with later vocabulary size. In a passive listening ERP study, 10.5 month-old Dutch infants were exposed to rhyming and non-rhyming child songs. Two types of rhyme effects were analysed: (1) ERPs elicited by the first rhyme occurring in each song (rhyme sensitivity) and (2) ERPs elicited by rhymes repeating after the first rhyme in each song (rhyme repetition). Only for the latter a tentative negativity for rhymes from 0 to 200 ms after the onset of the rhyme word was found. This rhyme repetition effect correlated with productive vocabulary at 18 months-old, but not with any other vocabulary measure (perception at 10.5 or 18 months-old). While awaiting future replication, the study indicates precursors of phonological awareness already during infancy and with ecologically valid linguistic stimuli

Vocalização e velarização de /l/ em CODA : o papel da diacronia na estruturação da gramática a partir da análise do português brasileiro

No português brasileiro (PB), a vocalização da lateral /l/ em posição final de sílaba é um fenômeno já estabelecido na fala das grandes cidades brasileiras (LEITE; CALLOU; MORAES, 2007; TASCA, 2000; ESPIGA, 2001; COLLISCHONN; QUEDNAU, 2008; COSTA, 2003). Em algumas comunidades do Rio Grande do Sul, no entanto, vocalização alterna com velarização da lateral no mesmo ambiente (TASCA, 2000; ESPIGA, 2001) e considera-se que a velarização seja uma das etapas do processo de alteração da lateral que antecede a vocalização (TASCA, 2000). Essa hipótese comprova-se em outras línguas, uma delas o inglês. Segundo Bermúdez-Otero (2007), as regras de vocalização e velarização encontram-se em estágios distintos de maturação. Bermúdez-Otero (2007) apresenta argumentos para atestar que, no inglês, o processo de velarização é mais antigo que o de vocalização e que, por isso, este é aplicado em domínios gramaticais maiores. A velarização é uma regra categórica, e não gradiente, como é a vocalização. A análise do inglês ilustra a proposta de Bermúdez-Otero (2007), que é de uma teoria geral sobre o modo como processos fonéticos adquirem caráter fonológico e, depois, passam a ser registrados nas formas subjacentes; em outras palavras, atribui papel à diacronia na estruturação da gramática. O presente trabalho aprofunda o entendimento dessa proposta a partir do exame do comportamento da lateral pós-vocálica no PB. Além disso, busca esclarecer a linha de análise de Bermúdez-Otero (2007) e investigar, em diferentes estudos sobre a vocalização de /l/ no PB, evidências de 'etapas' do processo, da gradiência fonética à interação com a morfologia e a categoricidade do processo. Esta tese realiza testes de percepção e avaliação de realizações consonantais e vocalizada de /l/ em coda, conforme Hayes (1998) e Hall-Lew e Fix (2012), com que se verifica que o processo de vocalização da lateral não é sensível a nenhum tipo de controle morfológico e se confirma o que a revisão bibliográfica aponta, que a vocalização da lateral no PB encontra-se na Fase II do ciclo de vida da mudança sonora.In Brazilian Portuguese (BP), the /l/ vocalization in the final syllable position is an established phenomenon in the speech of Brazilian big cities (LEITE; CALLOU; MORAES, 2007; TASCA, 2000; ESPIGA, 2001; COLLISCHONN; QUEDNAU, 2008; COSTA, 2003). In some communities of Rio Grande do Sul, however, /l/ vocalization alternates with /l/-darkening in the same environment (TASCA, 2000; ESPIGA, 2001) and it is considered that darkening is one of the stages in the process of sound change that precedes the vocalization (TASCA, 2000). This hypothesis is proved in other languages, one of them is English. According to Bermúdez-Otero (2007), the rules of vocalization and darkening are at different stages of maturation. Bermúdez-Otero (2007) presents arguments to prove that, in English, the process of darkening is older than vocalization and, therefore, it is applied in larger grammatical domains. Darkening is a categorical rule, not gradient, as it is the case for vocalization. The analysis in English illustrates the author’s proposal, which is a general theory about how phonetic processes acquire phonological character and then begin to be registered in underlying forms; in other words, it assigns a role to diachrony in the architecture of grammar. The present work deepens the understanding of this proposal examining the behavior of post-vocalic /l/ in BP. In order to clarify Bermúdez-Otero’s analysis (2007) and to investigate, in different studies on /l/-vocalization in BP, evidences of the 'stages' of the process, from phonetic gradience to the interaction with morphology and the categoricity of the process, it performs tests of perception and evaluation of consonant and vocalized realizations of /l/ in coda, according to Hayes (1998) and Hall-Lew and Fix (2012). It verifies that the vocalisation process of the lateral is not sensitive to any type of morphological control and confirms what the bibliographic review points out, that this process is in Phase II of the sound change life cycle

Maternal Prenatal Cortisol Trajectories Predict Accelerated Growth in Infancy

Higher maternal cortisol in pregnancy has been linked to childhood obesity. Much of the previous research has been limited in that cortisol in pregnancy is only measured at one time-point, precluding the ability to examine critical timing effects of prenatal maternal cortisol. To fill this gap, this longitudinal study measured maternal plasma cortisol at 15, 19, 25, and 31 weeks of pregnancy, and assessed infant body mass index percentile (BMIP)1 at birth, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months in 189 mother-infant pairs. Three distinct patterns of maternal cortisol in pregnancy (typical, steep, and flat trajectories) were identified using general growth mixture modeling (GGMM)2 and then used to predict child growth patterns using multilevel modeling. Infants of mothers who had flat cortisol trajectories, characterized by relatively high cortisol in early gestation that plateaus by mid-gestation, experienced more rapid increases in BMIP from birth to 6 months, and had higher BMIPs at 3 and 6 months, than infants whose mothers had the typical slow cortisol rise over gestation, or steep (rapidly accelerating) trajectories. These results suggest that it is not just the total amount of maternal cortisol in pregnancy that shapes early infant growth, but instead the timing and trajectory of prenatal cortisol exposure. To better understand the early origins of obesity risk, future research is needed to investigate the factors that shape mothers’ prenatal cortisol trajectories

Field Assessment of a Model Tuberculosis Outbreak Response Plan for Low-Incidence Areas

Background: For a regional project in four low-incidence states, we designed a customizable tuberculosis outbreak response plan. Prior to dissemination of the plan, a tuberculosis outbreak occurred, presenting an opportunity to perform a field assessment of the plan. The purpose of the assessment was to ensure that the plan included essential elements to help public health professionals recognize and respond to outbreaks. Methods: We designed a semi-structured questionnaire and interviewed all key stakeholders involved in the response. We used common themes to assess validity of and identify gaps in the plan. A subset of participants provided structured feedback on the plan. Results: We interviewed 11 public health and six community stakeholders. The assessment demonstrated that (1) almost all of the main response activities were reflected in the plan; (2) the plan added value by providing a definition of a tuberculosis outbreak and guidelines for communication and evaluation. These were areas that lacked written protocols during the actual outbreak response; and (3) basic education about tuberculosis and the interpretation and use of genotyping data were important needs. Stakeholders also suggested adding to the plan questions for evaluation and a section for specific steps to take when an outbreak is suspected. Conclusion: An interactive field assessment of a programmatic tool revealed the value of a systematic outbreak response plan with a standard definition of a tuberculosis outbreak, guidelines for communication and evaluation, and response steps. The assessment highlighted the importance of education and training for tuberculosis in low-incidence areas

Dinuclear lanthanide complexes supported by a hybrid salicylaldiminato/calix[4]arene-ligand: Synthesis, structure, and magnetic and luminescence properties of (HNEt3)[Ln2(HL)(L)] (Ln = SmIII, EuIII, GdIII, TbIII)

The synthesis, structures, and properties of a new calix[4]arene ligand with an appended salicylaldimine unit (H4L = 25-[2-((2-methylphenol)imino)ethoxy]-26,27,28-trihydroxy-calix[4]arene) and four lanthanide complexes (HNEt3)[Ln2(HL)(L)] (Ln = SmIII (4), EuIII (5), GdIII (6), and TbIII (7)) are reported. X-ray crystallographic analysis (for 4 and 6) reveals an isostructural series of dimeric complexes with a triply-bridged NO3Ln(μ-O)2(OH⋯O)LnO3N core and two seven coordinated lanthanide ions. According to UV-vis spectrometric titrations in MeCN and ESI-MS the dimeric nature is maintained in solution. The apparent stability constants range between logK = 5.8 and 6.3. The appended salicylaldimines sensitize EuIII and TbIII emission (λexc 311 nm) in the solid state or immersed in a polycarbonate glass at 77 K (for 5, 7) and at 295 K (for 7). © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019