Early adversity predicts adoptees’ enduring emotional and behavioral problems in childhood

Children adopted from the public care system are likely to experience a cluster of inter-related risk factors that place them on a trajectory of mental health problems that persist across the life course. However, the specific effects of putative risk factors on children’s mental health post-placement are not well understood. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of children placed for adoption between 2014 and 2015 (N = 96). Adoptive parents completed questionnaires at approximately 5-, 21-, 36-, and 48 months post-placement. We used time series analysis to examine the impact of pre-adoptive risk factors (adverse childhood experiences [ACEs], number of moves, days with birth parents and in care) on children’s internalizing and externalizing problems, and prosocial behaviour over four years post-placement. Adoptees’ internalizing and externalizing problems remained consistently high over the four-year study period but more ACEs predicted increases in internalizing and externalizing problems. Contrary to expectations, more pre-placement moves and time in care predicted fewer problems over time, but exploratory analyses of interactive effects revealed this was only the case in rare circumstances. We identify pre- and post-removal factors that may incur benefits or have a deleterious impact on adoptees’ outcomes in post-adoptive family life. Our findings provide knowledge for front-line professionals in the support of adoptive families and underscore the vital need for effective early intervention

Shoot chloride exclusion and salt tolerance in grapevine is associated with differential ion transporter expression in roots

BACKGROUND: Salt tolerance in grapevine is associated with chloride (Cl-) exclusion from shoots; the rate-limiting step being the passage of Cl- between the root symplast and xylem apoplast. Despite an understanding of the physiological mechanism of Cl- exclusion in grapevine, the molecular identity of membrane proteins that control this process have remained elusive. To elucidate candidate genes likely to control Cl- exclusion, we compared the root transcriptomes of three Vitis spp. with contrasting shoot Cl- exclusion capacities using a custom microarray. RESULTS: When challenged with 50 mM Cl-, transcriptional changes of genotypes 140 Ruggeri (shoot Cl- excluding rootstock), K51-40 (shoot Cl- including rootstock) and Cabernet Sauvignon (intermediate shoot Cl- excluder) differed. The magnitude of salt-induced transcriptional changes in roots correlated with the amount of Cl- accumulated in shoots. Abiotic-stress responsive transcripts (e.g. heat shock proteins) were induced in 140 Ruggeri, respiratory transcripts were repressed in Cabernet Sauvignon, and the expression of hypersensitive response and ROS scavenging transcripts was altered in K51-40. Despite these differences, no obvious Cl- transporters were identified. However, under control conditions where differences in shoot Cl- exclusion between rootstocks were still significant, genes encoding putative ion channels SLAH3, ALMT1 and putative kinases SnRK2.6 and CPKs were differentially expressed between rootstocks, as were members of the NRT1 (NAXT1 and NRT1.4), and CLC families. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that transcriptional events contributing to the Cl- exclusion mechanism in grapevine are not stress-inducible, but constitutively different between contrasting varieties. We have identified individual genes from large families known to have members with roles in anion transport in other plants, as likely candidates for controlling anion homeostasis and Cl- exclusion in Vitis species. We propose these genes as priority candidates for functional characterisation to determine their role in chloride transport in grapevine and other plants.Sam W Henderson, Ute Baumann, Deidre H Blackmore, Amanda R Walker, Rob R Walker and Matthew Gilliha

Petrogenesis and magma chamber evolution of the Gawler Range Volcanics

This item is only available electronically.The Gawler Range Volcanics (GRV) have been extensively studied previously, but a source and emplacement mechanism has yet to be agreed upon. This study aims to constrain the source region of the GRV and to make deductions about how the GRV evolved. This has been done through a number of modelling techniques, including AFC modelling and use of the Rhyolite-MELTs program. The εNd values vary widely across the GRV, and these have been used in conjunction with trace element geochemistry to constrain the source region. It is deduced that the most primitive GRV basalts were the result of limited fractionation of a re-enriched refractory harzburgite source in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. It is then shown that the entire GRV suite can be derived from one fractionation trend, however some assimilation is required.Thesis (B.Sc.(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Physical Sciences, 201

Previous life experiences and the vulnerability of children adopted from out-of-home care: the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and child welfare decision making

Despite the increasing use of adoption to provide permanence for children living in out-of-home care, relatively little is known about the children involved. This paper presents findings on the previous life experiences of an entire cohort of ‘difficult to place’ adoptees who were placed in Australia over 26 years. Understanding the vulnerability of these children is important for practitioners supporting adoptive families, as well as policy-makers and researchers who are assessing the outcomes of adoption from care. The study describes a group of children who have experiences which may make them vulnerable to poor adult outcomes. The severity of their pre-care experiences is high, with implications for health and wellbeing difficulties in adulthood. Child welfare interventions after entry to out-of-home care are also associated with poor outcomes. Furthermore, a high number of adoptees presented with behavioural difficulties which further compromised their welfare. The study demonstrates that, while adoptive families can be successfully recruited for highly vulnerable children, there are important issues for timing of decision-making about permanency and for recruitment, training and support of adoptive families. Furthermore, policy makers and practitioners need to consider these vulnerabilities when comparing adoption with other forms of out-of-home care and assessing outcomes of adoption compared to the general community or fostered children.</p

Previous life experiences and the vulnerability of children adopted from out-of-home care: The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and child welfare decision making

Despite the increasing use of adoption to provide permanence for children living in out-of-home care, relatively little is known about the children involved. This paper presents findings on the previous life experiences of an entire cohort of ‘difficult to place’ adoptees who were placed in Australia over 26 years. Understanding the vulnerability of these children is important for practitioners supporting adoptive families, as well as policy-makers and researchers who are assessing the outcomes of adoption from care. The study describes a group of children who have experiences which may make them vulnerable to poor adult outcomes. The severity of their pre-care experiences is high, with implications for health and wellbeing difficulties in adulthood. Child welfare interventions after entry to out-of-home care are also associated with poor outcomes. Furthermore, a high number of adoptees presented with behavioural difficulties which further compromised their welfare. The study demonstrates that, while adoptive families can be successfully recruited for highly vulnerable children, there are important issues for timing of decision-making about permanency and for recruitment, training and support of adoptive families. Furthermore, policy makers and practitioners need to consider these vulnerabilities when comparing adoption with other forms of out-of-home care and assessing outcomes of adoption compared to the general community or fostered children.</p

Theoretical foundations for the study of social innovation in the public sector

Over the past two decades, there have been significant debates around the theoretical foundations for the study of social and material implications of technological change in organizational settings. Various scholars have looked at these foundations with a focus on either the social and the material as discrete entities, the social and the material as interactive, the sociomaterial as a concept representing the constitutive entanglement of the two, or the sociomaterial as imbricated but analytically distinct. These debates sometimes lead to statements about which foundations are the most appropriate upon which to build studies; however, it may be more productive to delineate what each theoretical foundation affords for the study of social innovation. This paper sets out the affordances of each perspective for the design and execution of research into technologically supported social innovation in the public sector. It provides relevant examples from child protection services to illustrate where and how these different theoretical foundations help researchers to understand phenomena associated with social innovation. In so doing, this paper seeks to clarify the diverse approaches to the study of technologically supported social innovation, their assumptions, and where they may be adopted most effectively

Keeping them home: Aboriginal out-of-home care in Australia

This article examines the foster care (referred to as out-of-home care) of Aboriginal children in Australia. It discusses the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (ACPP), the role of indigenous kinship care, and the self determination of Aboriginal people. Given the history of Australia’s stolen generations (generations of Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families), the primary concern is to keep Aboriginal children at home within their families, communities, and culture. All Australian jurisdictions support the concept of Aboriginal self-determination and the ACPP. However, they do so from within a framework informed by non-Aboriginal values. As a consequence, Aboriginal people are frustrated about mainstream understanding of self-determination and the ACPP. The authors argue that for both of these objectives to be achieved culturally appropriate policies and practices are needed