Parental Expectations - Intercultural Perspectives and Parents of Children with a Mental Disorder

Jeder hat eine Menge Situationen erlebt in denen er oder sie bestimmte Erwartungen daran hatte, was passieren könnte oder wie andere Menschen sich verhalten werden. Dies gilt in besonderem Maße für Eltern, da jeder der Kinder hat auch gewisse Erwartungen über deren Leben und Verhalten hat, oder zumindest einige Hoffnungen und Wünsche (Irwin & Elley, 2013). Im Allgemeinen helfen Erwartungen dabei Situationen zu antizipieren, um dann besser vorbereitet zu sein um schnell reagieren und sich der Situation anpassen zu können (Landis et al., 2003). Bis zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt ist noch nicht vollends geklärt wie diese Erwartungen entstehen, was sie beeinflusst und wie sie mit dem Verhalten einer Person interagieren, aber es gibt verschiedene Ansätze dies zu erklären. Eines der berühmten frühen Modelle die sich mit diesem Thema beschäftigt haben, ist die Theorie des überlegten Handelns (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), welche später überarbeitet und zur Theorie des geplanten Verhaltens (Ajzen, 1985) wurde. In diesem Model ist zum Beispiel die Komponente der erwarteten Wahrscheinlichkeit ein Verhalten zeigen zu können eines der Schlüssel-Aspekte. Ein weiteres sehr bekanntes Modell ist das Erwartungs x Wert-Modell (Eccles et al., 1983), welches besagt, dass eine Handlung nur dann unternommen wird, wenn die Erwartung hoch genug ist, das gewünschte Ergebnis zu erzielen. Verschiedene Aspekte die in den beiden bisher genannten Modellen sowie in weiteren Modellen genannt wurden, scheinen einen Einfluss auf die Entwicklung von Erwartungen zu haben, wie zum Beispiel vorherige Erfahrungen, der kulturelle Hintergrund und auch persönliche Werte (Nauck & Klaus, 2007; Rief et al., 2015). Es wird bereits ersichtlich, dass Erwartungen eine große Rolle in nahezu allen Aspekten des Lebens spielen und es gibt einige bestätigende Studien bezüglich des Verhältnisses zwischen elterlichen Erwartungen und dem Sozialverhalten des Kindes (Ohene, 2006; Padilla-Walker & Carlo, 2007), den Freundschaftsbeziehungen des Kindes (Gurland & Grolnick, 2008) sowie der schulischen Leistung (Yamamoto & Holloway, 2010). Obwohl es bereits diese bekannten Beziehungen zwischen elterlichen Erwartungen und dem Verhalten des Kindes gibt, weiß man bisher wenig über interkulturelle Unterschiede bezüglich elterlicher Erwartungen, sowie dem Vergleich von Eltern von psychisch gesunden und kranken Kindern, obwohl es für letzteren Vergleich immerhin ein paar Studien gibt (Almroth et al., 2019). Diese Dissertation zielt darauf ab, diese Wissenslücken zu verringern und in der ersten Studie den Vergleich zwischen deutschen und chinesischen Eltern anzustellen. Bei der Analyse von 421 Personen fanden wir heraus, dass die Erwartungen dasselbe hohe Niveau in beiden Gruppen hatten, abgesehen von den Erwartungen bezüglich der Schulleistungen und der Emotionsregulation, welche in der chinesischen Stichprobe höher waren. Dies führt zu der Annahme, dass die Kultur tatsächlich einen Einfluss auf die Entstehung von Erwartungen hat und dies auch für elterliche Erwartungen an ihre Kinder gilt. In der zweiten Studie analysierten wir den Effekt von elterlichen Erwartungen auf die akademische Leistung des Kindes und andersherum, welches bei weitem der am besten beforschte Bereich in Bezug auf elterliche Erwartungen ist. Aus diesem Grund haben wir hierzu eine Meta-Analyse (133 Studien, 437,328 Eltern) durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass elterliche Erwartungen und die akademische Leistung des Kindes einen reziproken Effekt hatten. Dennoch war der Effekt der Erwartungen auf die spätere Leistung größer als der Effekt des Istzustands auf die Erwartungen. Beim Vergleich zwischen Eltern von 214 gesunden und 50 psychisch kranken Kindern in der dritten Studie, fanden wir unterschiedlich hohe Erwartungen in jeder untersuchten Skala, in die Richtung, dass Eltern von Kindern mit psychischen Störungen in jedem Bereich niedrigere Erwartungen hatten. Wir konnten nur zum Teil zeigen, dass das tatsächliche Verhalten der Kinder ein mediierender Faktor für diesen Gruppenunterschied ist, was aber an der geringen Stichprobengröße liegen könnte. Wir fanden auch heraus, dass die dispositionelle Flexibilität und Hartnäckigkeit der Eltern einen Einfluss auf die Höhe der Erwartungen hat und zwar so, dass sowohl höhere Flexibilität, als auch höhere Hartnäckigkeit mit höheren Erwartungen einhergehen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen unter anderem, dass die angenommenen Faktoren, wie kultureller Hintergrund und vorherige Erfahrung, sowohl im Schulkontext als auch im Kontext von psychischen Erkrankungen, von Relevanz sind. Die zweite Studie zeigt auch die Wichtigkeit elterlicher Erwartungen, da sie einen Einfluss Leistung des Kindes haben und daher als besondere Faktoren in Eltern-Lehrer sowie in Eltern-Therapeut Gesprächen Berücksichtigung finden sollten, um den Schulalltag und die Therapie effizienter gestalten zu können

Plant diversity effects on plant longevity and their relationships to population stability in experimental grasslands

Identifying to what degree inherent characteristics of plant species and their variation in response to their environment regulate the temporal stability of plant populations is important to understand patterns of species coexistence and the stability of ecosystems. Longevity is a key characteristic of plant life history and an important component of demographic storage, but age is usually unknown for herbaceous species. In a 12-year-old biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment) comprising 80 grassland communities with six levels of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 species) and four levels of functional groups richness (1, 2, 3 and 4 functional groups), we studied populations of 38 dicotyledonous forb species (N = 1,683 plant individuals). The sampled individuals represented three plant functional groups (legumes, small herbs and tall herbs) and two different growth forms (species with long-lived primary roots and clonal species with rhizomes/stolons). We assessed the age of plant individuals by means of growth ring analysis and related the age of plant populations to their temporal stability in terms of peak biomass production. On average, plant species richness did not affect the mean age of the populations or the maximum age of individuals found in a population. Age of herbs with taproots increased and age of herbs with clonal growth decreased with increasing species richness, cancelling out each other when growth forms were analysed together. Mean population age was lowest for small herbs and highest for tall herbs, while legumes had an intermediate population age. Herbs with a taproot were on average older than herbs with a rhizome. Across all species-richness levels, populations with older individuals were more stable in terms of biomass production over time. Synthesis. Our study shows for the first time across multiple species that the longevity of forbs is affected by the diversity of the surrounding plant community, and that plant longevity as an important component of demographic storage increases the temporal stability of populations of grassland forb species

Improved optical activation of ion-implanted Zn acceptors in GaN by annealing under N2 overpressure

We investigated the properties of ion-implanted GaN:Zn annealed under various conditions using photoluminescence (PL) and high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD). Epitaxial GaN/sapphire of high optical quality was ion-implanted with a 1013 cm−2 dose of Zn+ ions at 200 keV. The sample was capped with 200 Å of SiNx and then diced into numerous pieces which were annealed under varied conditions in an attempt to optically activate the Zn. Annealing was performed in a tube furnace under flowing N2, an atmospheric pressure MOCVD reactor under flowing NH3 or N2, and under an N2 overpressure of 190 atm. The observed improvement in the optical quality of GaN:Zn annealed under N2 overpressure yields further insights into the trade-off between defect annealing and N loss from the GaN crysta

Efficient optical activation of ion-implanted Zn acceptors in GaN by annealing under 10 kbar N2 overpressure

We continue our investigations into the optical activation of Zn-implanted GaN annealed under ever higher N2 overpressure. The samples studied were epitaxial GaN/sapphire layers of good optical quality which were implanted with a 1013 cm−2 dose of Zn+ ions at 200 keV, diced into equivalent pieces and annealed under 10 kbar of N2. The N2 overpressure permitted annealing at temperatures up to 1250°C for 1 hr without GaN decomposition. The blue Zn-related photoluminescence (PL) signal rises sharply with increasing anneal temperature. The Zn-related PL intensity in the implanted sample annealed at 1250°C exceeded that of the epitaxially doped GaN:Zn standard proving that high temperature annealing of GaN under kbar N2 overpressure can effectively remove implantation damage and efficiently activate implanted dopants in GaN. We propose a lateral LED device which could be fabricated using ion implanted dopants activated by high temperature annealing at high pressur

Relationships between ecosystem functions vary among years and plots and are driven by plant species richness

Ecosystem management aims at providing many ecosystem services simultaneously. Such ecosystem service multifunctionality can be limited by tradeoffs and increased by synergies among the underlying ecosystem functions (EF), which need to be understood to develop targeted management. Previous studies found differences in the correlation between EFs. We hypothesised that correlations between EFs are variable even under the controlled conditions of a field experiment and that seasonal and annual variation, plant species richness, and plot identity (identity effects of plots, such as the presence and proportion of functional groups) are drivers of these correlations. We used data on 31 EFs related to plants, consumers, and physical soil properties that were measured over 5 to 19 years, up to three times per year, in a temperate grassland experiment with 80 different plots, constituting six sown plant species richness levels (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 60 species). We found that correlations between pairs of EFs were variable, and correlations between two particular EFs could range from weak to strong or negative to positive correlations among the repeated measurements. To determine the drivers of pairwise EF correlations, the covariance between EFs was partitioned into contributions from species richness, plot identity, and time (including years and seasons). We found that most of the covariance for synergies was explained by species richness (26.5%), whereas for tradeoffs, most covariance was explained by plot identity (29.5%). Additionally, some EF pairs were more affected by differences among years and seasons, showing a higher temporal variation. Therefore, correlations between two EFs from single measurements are insufficient to draw conclusions on tradeoffs and synergies. Consequently, pairs of EFs need to be measured repeatedly under different conditions to describe their relationships with more certainty and be able to derive recommendations for the management of grasslands

Energetic basis for bird ontogeny and egg-laying applied to the bobwhite quail

Birds build up their reproductive system and undergo major tissue remodeling for each reproductive season. Energetic specifics of this process are still not completely clear, despite the increasing interest. We focused on the bobwhite quail — one of the most intensely studied species due to commercial and conservation interest — to elucidate the energy fluxes associated with reproduction, including the fate of the extra assimilates ingested prior to and during reproduction. We used the standard Dynamic Energy Budget model, which is a mechanistic process-based model capable of fully specifying and predicting the life cycle of the bobwhite quail: its growth, maturation and reproduction. We expanded the standard model with an explicit egg-laying module and formulated and tested two hypotheses for energy allocation of extra assimilates associated with reproduction: Hypothesis 1, that the energy and nutrients are used directly for egg production ; and Hypothesis 2, that the energy is mostly spent fueling the increased metabolic costs incurred by building up and maintaining the reproductive system and, subsequently, by egg-laying itself. Our results suggest that Hypothesis 2 is the more likely energy pathway. Model predictions capture well the whole ontogeny of a generalized northern bobwhite quail and are able to reproduce most of the data variability via variability in (i) egg size, (ii) egg-laying rate and (iii) inter-individual physiological variability modeled via the zoom factor, i.e. assimilation potential. Reliable models with a capacity to predict physiological responses of individuals are relevant not only for experimental setups studying effects of various natural and anthropogenic pressures on the quail as a bird model organism, but also for wild quail management and conservation. The model is, with minor modifications, applicable to other species of interest, making it a most valuable tool in the emerging field of conservation physiology

Alzheimer's Risk Gene TREM2 Determines Functional Properties of New Type of Human iPSC-Derived Microglia

Microglia are key in the homeostatic well-being of the brain and microglial dysfunction has been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Due to the many limitations to study microglia in situ or isolated for large scale drug discovery applications, there is a high need to develop robust and scalable human cellular models of microglia with reliable translatability to the disease. Here, we describe the generation of microglia-like cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) with distinct phenotypes for mechanistic studies in AD. We started out from an established differentiation protocol to generate primitive macrophage precursors mimicking the yolk sac ontogeny of microglia. Subsequently, we tested 36 differentiation conditions for the cells in monoculture where we exposed them to various combinations of media, morphogens, and extracellular matrices. The optimized protocol generated robustly ramified cells expressing key microglial markers. Bulk mRNA sequencing expression profiles revealed that compared to cells obtained in co-culture with neurons, microglia-like cells derived from a monoculture condition upregulate mRNA levels for Triggering Receptor Expressed On Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2), which is reminiscent to the previously described disease-associated microglia. TREM2 is a risk gene for AD and an important regulator of microglia. The regulatory function of TREM2 in these cells was confirmed by comparing wild type with isogenic TREM2 knock-out iPSC microglia. The TREM2-deficient cells presented with stronger increase in free cytosolic calcium upon stimulation with ATP and ADP, as well as stronger migration towards complement C5a, compared to TREM2 expressing cells. The functional differences were associated with gene expression modulation of key regulators of microglia. In conclusion, we have established and validated a work stream to generate functional human iPSC-derived microglia-like cells by applying a directed and neuronal co-culture independent differentiation towards functional phenotypes in the context of AD. These cells can now be applied to study AD-related disease settings and to perform compound screening and testing for drug discoverySG was supported by the Roche Postdoctoral Fellowship (RPF) program and IP by the Roche Internships for Scientific Exchange (RiSE) progra

Genetic Variants in SGLT1, Glucose Tolerance, and Cardiometabolic Risk

BACKGROUND Loss-of-function mutations in the SGLT1 (sodium/glucose co-transporter-1) gene result in a rare glucose/galactose malabsorption disorder and neonatal death if untreated. In the general population, variants related to intestinal glucose absorption remain uncharacterized. OBJECTIVES The goat of this study was to identify functional SGLT1 gene variants and characterize their clinical consequences. METHODS Whole exome sequencing was performed in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study participants enrolled from 4 U.S. communities. The association of functional, nonsynonymous substitutions in SGLT1 with 2-h oral glucose tolerance test results was determined. Variants related to impaired glucose tolerance were studied, and Mendelian randomization analysis of cardiometabotic outcomes was performed. RESULTS Among 5,687 European-American subjects (mean age 54 +/- 6 years; 47% mate), those who carried a haplotype of 3 missense mutations (frequency of 6.7%)-Asn51Ser, Ala411Thr, and His615Gln-had lower 2-h glucose and odds of impaired glucose tolerance than noncarriers (beta-coefficient: -8.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -12.7 to -3.3; OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.86, respectively). The association of the haplotype with oral glucose tolerance test results was consistent in a replication sample of 2,791 African-American subjects (beta = -16.3; 95% CI: -36.6 to 4.1; OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.91) and an external European-Finnish population sample of 6,784 subjects (beta = -3.2; 95% CI: -6.4 to 0.02; OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.98). Using a Mendelian randomization approach in the index cohort, the estimated 25-year effect of a reduction of 20 mg/dl in 2-h glucose via SGLT1 inhibition would be reduced prevalent obesity (OR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.63), incident diabetes (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.81), heart failure (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.83), and death (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.90). CONCLUSIONS Functionally damaging missense variants in SGLT1 protect from diet-induced hyperglycemia in multiple populations. Reduced intestinal glucose uptake may protect from long-term cardiometabolic outcomes, providing support for therapies that target SGLT1 function to prevent and treat metabolic conditions. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation.Peer reviewe