Assessing contemporary parenting dimensions : development and psychometric investigation of the parenting behaviours and dimensions questionnaire

While a substantial amount of research has been conducted on parenting and its effects on child development, there is a significant lack of agreement over the key dimensions of parenting and the assessment of parenting behaviour. Most parenting dimensions that have been examined in previous studies can be subsumed under the themes of parenting warmth, behavioural control, and psychological control; however, there are many other dimensions discussed in the literature that may be important to the practices of contemporary parents. In addition, the assessment of parenting has been problematic due to theoretical disagreement, concerns over generalisability, and problems with the developmental methods and psychometric properties of current measures of parenting. Therefore, the aims of this research were to develop a comprehensive and psychometrically sound self-report measure of parenting for use with parents of preadolescent children, and to use this empirical scale development process to identify the core dimensions of contemporary parenting practices. The final aim of the study was to use the newly developed Parenting Behaviours and Dimensions Questionnaire (PBDQ) to address some of the questions in the literature relating to the generalisability and universality of parenting theory and assessment across various parenting subgroups. The research employed a mixed-method design, combining previous literature and assessment items with qualitative parent feedback and quantitative scale development, validation, and practical utility assessment procedures.In Phase One of this research, the initial item pool (N = 288) was generated, which were based on items from six widely used parenting measures, as well as a list of items generated by the researcher on parental responsiveness, intrusiveness, and overprotection, based on previous literature. After items were reviewed for redundancies (N = 210), a sample of 16 parents of children aged 3 to 12 years provided written feedback on the item pool, and a further sample of 15 parents participated in one of three focus groups discussing the items as well as important parenting themes that were not covered in the item pool. Verbatim item feedback from both phases as well as content analysis of the focus group transcripts resulted in the elimination of 115 items, while 29 items were reworded and 21 items were added, yielding a total of 116 items in the final item pool assessing a range of parenting behaviours.In Phase Two, a community sample of 846 parents of children aged 3-12 years completed an online survey of the items in the final item pool. Exploratory factor analysis conducted on a randomly selected sample of 580 of these parents yielded a six factor solution, including dimensions of Emotional Warmth, Punitive Discipline, Responsiveness, Discipline Inconsistency, Democratic Discipline, and Anxious Intrusiveness. A confirmatory factor analysis conducted on the remaining 266 parents supported a higher order five factor solution, with the Anxious Intrusiveness factor excluded from the model. The final Parenting Behaviours and Dimensions Questionnaire included 27 items, and Cronbach’s alphas were found to be acceptable to excellent.A community sample of 105 parents completed an online test-retest study in Phase Three, and results supported the relative stability of the PBDQ over a two and four week period. This sample was combined with a further sample of 58 parents recruited for the Animal Fun Project at Curtin University (Piek et al., 2010). Validity analyses comparing the PBDQ to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) subscale scores and the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) subscale scores were generally in the expected direction. In general, better childhood outcomes were associated with lower levels of parental punitive discipline, discipline inconsistency, and anxious intrusiveness, and higher levels of parent emotional warmth, responsiveness, and democratic discipline.Phase Four utilised the data from Phase Two to assess the utility and generalisability of the PBDQ, and results suggested that there was very little variability in PBDQ scores across parent gender, child gender, and individualistic versus collectivist cultural groups, with some differences in PBDQ variability between primary and non-primary caregivers. In addition, the factorial validity for the PBDQ across parents of male and female children was confirmed, and there were no significant differences in PBDQ scores across parent gender x caregiver status, or child gender. Finally, significant variance in PBDQ scores was accounted for by important demographic variables in the regression analyses, but effect sizes were small. Taken together, these results provide support for the utility of the PBDQ and the underlying factor structure, and the universality of the dimensions assessed across a range of demographic variables.The overall findings of this project provide support for the psychometric properties, universality, and practical utility of the PBDQ, which was developed to address the theoretical, methodological, and psychometric limitations of previous measures. The five dimensions which are described in the PBDQ appear to combine a number of different parenting concepts that have been identified in the literature, providing some clarity to the definition of key parenting dimensions. This measure will allow for the comprehensive and consistent assessment of parenting, and the development of alternative assessment systems based on these core dimensions to assist in future research and clinical practice

Ovarian cancer symptom awareness and anticipated time to help-seeking for symptoms among UK women.

OBJECTIVES: To determine levels of awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms and to identify barriers to help-seeking and predictors of a longer time to help-seeking in a UK female population-based sample. METHODS: A UK population-based sample of women [n=1000, including a subsample of women at higher risk due to their age (≥45 years, n=510)] completed the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Measure by telephone interview. Questions measured symptom awareness (using recall and recognition), barriers to medical help-seeking and anticipated time to help-seeking. Regression analyses identified predictors of a higher score on a scale of anticipated time to help-seeking. RESULTS: Most women (58% overall sample; 54% subgroup) were unable to recall any symptoms but 99% recognised at least one. Recognition was lowest for difficulty eating and persistently feeling full. In the sample overall, higher socio-economic status and higher endorsement of practical and service barriers independently predicted a longer anticipated time to help-seeking for more symptoms. White ethnicity was an additional predictor in the older subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms is low in the UK, and varies widely between symptoms. It identifies variables that may be involved in a longer time to help-seeking for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and highlights the need for more in-depth research into the factors related to time to help-seeking in real-world situations

Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis of Porcine Faecal Commensal Escherichia coli Carrying Class 1 Integrons from Sows and Their Offspring.

Intensive pig production systems often rely on the use of antimicrobials and heavy metal feed additives to maintain animal health and welfare. To gain insight into the carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the faecal flora of commercially reared healthy swine, we characterised the genome sequences of 117 porcine commensal E. coli that carried the class 1 integrase gene (intI1+). Isolates were sourced from 42 healthy sows and 126 of their offspring from a commercial breeding operation in Australia in 2017. intI1+ E. coli was detected in 28/42 (67%) sows and 90/126 (71%) piglets. Phylogroup A, particularly clonal complex 10, and phylogroup B1 featured prominently in the study collection. ST10, ST20, ST48 and ST361 were the dominant sequence types. Notably, 113/117 isolates (96%) carried three or more ARGs. Genes encoding resistance to -lactams, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, sulphonamides, tetracyclines and heavy metals were dominant. ARGs encoding resistance to last-line agents, such as carbapenems and third generation cephalosporins, were not detected. IS26, an insertion sequence noted for its ability to capture and mobilise ARGs, was present in 108/117 (92%) intI1+ isolates, and it played a role in determining class 1 integron structure. Our data shows that healthy Australian pig faeces are an important reservoir of multidrug resistant E. coli that carry genes encoding resistance to multiple first-generation antibiotics and virulence-associated genes

Porcine commensal escherichia coli: A reservoir for class 1 integrons associated with IS26

© 2017 The Authors. Porcine faecal waste is a serious environmental pollutant. Carriage of antimicrobial-resistance genes (ARGs) and virulenceassociated genes (VAGs), and the zoonotic potential of commensal Escherichia coli from swine are largely unknown. Furthermore, little is known about the role of commensal E. coli as contributors to the mobilization of ARGs between food animals and the environment. Here, we report whole-genome sequence analysis of 103 class 1 integron-positive E. coli from the faeces of healthy pigs from two commercial production facilities in New South Wales, Australia. Most strains belonged to phylogroups A and B1, and carried VAGs linked with extraintestinal infection in humans. The 103 strains belonged to 37 multilocus sequence types and clonal complex 10 featured prominently. Seventeen ARGs were detected and 97% (100/103) of strains carried three or more ARGs. Heavy-metal-resistance genes merA, cusA and terA were also common. IS26 was observed in 98% (101/103) of strains and was often physically associated with structurally diverse class 1 integrons that carried unique genetic features, which may be tracked. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first detailed genomic analysis and point of reference for commensal E. coli of porcine origin in Australia, facilitating tracking of specific lineages and the mobile resistance genes they carry

A Simple Iterative Model Accurately Captures Complex Trapline Formation by Bumblebees Across Spatial Scales and Flower Arrangements

PMCID: PMC3591286This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Association of sperm-associated antigen 5 and treatment response in patients With estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer

Importance: There is no proven test that can guide the optimal treatment, either endocrine therapy or chemotherapy, for estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. Objective: To investigate the associations of sperm-associated antigen 5 (SPAG5) transcript and SPAG5 protein expressions with treatment response in systemic therapy for estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. Design, Settings, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study included patients with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer who received 5 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy with or without neoadjuvant anthracycline-based combination chemotherapy (NACT) derived from 11 cohorts from December 1, 1986, to November 28, 2019. The associations of SPAG5 transcript and SPAG5 protein expression with pathological complete response to NACT were evaluated, as was the association of SPAG5 mRNA expression with response to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. The associations of distal relapse–free survival with SPAG5 transcript or SPAG5 protein expressions were analyzed. Data were analyzed from September 9, 2015, to November 28, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were breast cancer–specific survival, distal relapse–free survival, pathological complete response, and clinical response. Outcomes were examined using Kaplan-Meier, multivariable logistic, and Cox regression models. Results: This study included 12 720 women aged 24 to 78 years (mean [SD] age, 58.46 [12.45] years) with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, including 1073 women with SPAG5 transcript expression and 361 women with SPAG5 protein expression of locally advanced disease stage IIA through IIIC. Women with SPAG5 transcript and SPAG5 protein expressions achieved higher pathological complete response compared with those without SPAG5 transcript or SPAG5 protein expressions (transcript: odds ratio, 2.45 [95% CI, 1.71-3.51]; P < .001; protein: odds ratio, 7.32 [95% CI, 3.33-16.22]; P < .001). Adding adjuvant anthracycline chemotherapy to adjuvant endocrine therapy for SPAG5 mRNA expression in estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer was associated with prolonged 5-year distal relapse–free survival in patients without lymph node involvement (hazard ratio, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.14-0.87]; P = .03) and patients with lymph node involvement (hazard ratio, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.18-0.68]; P = .002) compared with receiving 5-year endocrine therapy alone. Mean (SD) SPAG5 transcript was found to be downregulated after 2 weeks of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy compared with pretreatment levels in 68 of 92 patients (74%) (0.23 [0.18] vs 0.34 [0.24]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that SPAG5 transcript and SPAG5 protein expressions could be used to guide the optimal therapies for estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. Retrospective and prospective clinical trials are warranted

Axonal transport deficit in a KIF5A–/– mouse model

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder preferentially affecting the longest corticospinal axons. More than 40 HSP genetic loci have been identified, among them SPG10, an autosomal dominant HSP caused by point mutations in the neuronal kinesin heavy chain protein KIF5A. Constitutive KIF5A knockout (KIF5A–/–) mice die early after birth. In these mice, lungs were unexpanded, and cell bodies of lower motor neurons in the spinal cord swollen, but the pathomechanism remained unclear. To gain insights into the pathophysiology, we characterized survival, outgrowth, and function in primary motor and sensory neuron cultures from KIF5A–/– mice. Absence of KIF5A reduced survival in motor neurons, but not in sensory neurons. Outgrowth of axons and dendrites was remarkably diminished in KIF5A–/– motor neurons. The number of axonal branches was reduced, whereas the number of dendrites was not altered. In KIF5A–/– sensory neurons, neurite outgrowth was decreased but the number of neurites remained unchanged. In motor neurons maximum and average velocity of mitochondrial transport was reduced both in anterograde and retrograde direction. Our results point out a role of KIF5A in process outgrowth and axonal transport of mitochondria, affecting motor neurons more severely than sensory neurons. This gives pathophysiological insights into KIF5A associated HSP, and matches the clinical findings of predominant degeneration of the longest axons of the corticospinal tract

Preparation, structured deliberate practice and decision making in elite level football: The case study of Gary Neville (Manchester United FC and England)

Decision making in elite level sporting competition is often regarded as distinguishing success from failure. As an intricate brain-based process it is unlike other physical processes because it is invisible and is typically only evidenced after the event. This case study shows how an individual achieved great success in elite level professional football through consistent positive decision making on and off the field of play. Through prolonged interviewing, Gary Neville, a player from Manchester United Football Club, explored personal behaviours, the structure and activities of deliberate practice and his professional choices in match preparation. His career-long devotion to purposeful organised practice was focused on cognition, physical preparation, context-relative physical action and refined repetition to optimise his mental comfort while enhancing his match day performances. This approach was underpinned by diligent personal and collective organisation and by concerted action. Results provide an insight into the categorical nature of his deliberate practice, sport-specific information processing and match-based decision making. At the operational level, his process was mediated by a complex mental representation of ongoing and anticipated game situations; these representations were continuously updated during each match. Allowing for the limitations of the design, implications are provided for developmental and educational coaching, match preparation, deliberate practice activity and improved use of the performance analysis software packages in professional football