Irritability and parenting practices as mediational variables between temperament and affective, anxiety, and oppositional defiant problems

Irritability and parenting are potential targets for transdiagnostic studies to identify the common and core dysfunctional characteristics underlying several diagnostic pictures with the goal of addressing these issues in treatment. Our objective was to investigate the different paths from temperament to child psychopathology (affective, anxiety, and oppositional problems) through irritability and parenting using a prospective design from ages 3 to 7. A sample of 614 3-year-old preschoolers was followed at ages 4, 6, and 7. Parents answered questionnaires about temperament (age 3), irritability (age 4), parenting practices (age 6), and psychopathology (age 7). Statistical analyses were carried out through structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the mediation effect of irritability and parenting practices from temperament (negative affectivity and effortful control) through to affective, anxious, and oppositional problems. The proposed model fit the data well. SEM showed (a) an indirect effect from temperament to affective problems, via irritability and positive parenting; (b) a direct effect from negative affectivity to anxiety, plus an indirect effect from both temperament dimensions, via irritability and autonomy parenting practices; and (c) an indirect effect from temperament to oppositional problems, via irritability and punitive parenting. Irritability and parenting are transdiagnostic mediational variables that should be focused on in intervention programs for affective, anxiety, and oppositional problem

Enhanced Magneto-Optical Edge Excitation in Nanoscale Magnetic Disks

We report unexpected enhancements of the magneto-optical effect in ferromagnetic Permalloy disks of diameter D < 400 nm. The effect becomes increasingly pronounced for smaller D, reaching more than a 100% enhancement for D ¼ 100 nm samples. By means of experiments and simulations, the origin of this effect is identified as a nanoscale ring-shaped region at the disk edges, in which the magneto-optically induced electric polarization is enhanced. This leads to a modification of the electromagnetic near fields and causes the enhanced magneto-optical excitation, independent from any optical resonance.We acknowledge funding from the Basque Government (Program No. PI2012-47) and the Spanish Government (Project No.MAT2012-36844).Work at the Universidad de Cantabria has been supported by MICINN under Project No. FIS2013-45854-P

Plasmonics in the UV range with Rhodium nanocubes

Plasmonics in the UV-range constitutes a new challenge due to the increasing demand to detect, identify and destroy biological toxins, enhance biological imaging, and characterize semiconductor devices at the nanometer scale. Silver and aluminum have an e cient plasmonic performance in the near UV region, but oxidation reduces its performance in this range. Recent studies point out rhodium as one of the most promising metals for this purpose: it has a good plasmonic response in the UV and, as gold in the visible, it presents a low tendency to oxidation. Moreover, its easy fabrication through chemical means and its potential for photocatalytic applications, makes this material very attractive for building plasmonic tools in the UV. In this work, we will show an overview of our recent collaborative research with rhodium nanocubes (NC) for Plasmonics in the UV.This research was partly supported by MICINN (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation) through project FIS2013-45854-P

Plasmonic Control of Radiative Properties of Semiconductor Quantum Dots Coupled to Plasmonic Ring Cavities

In recent years, a lot of effort has been made to achieve controlled delivery of target particles to the hotspots of plasmonic nanoantennas, in order to probe and/or exploit the extremely large field enhancements produced by such structures. While in many cases such high fields are advantageous, there are instances where they should be avoided. In this work, we consider the implications of using the standard nanoantenna geometries when colloidal quantum dots are employed as target entities. We show that in this case, and for various reasons, dimer antennas are not the optimum choice. Plasmonic ring cavities are a better option despite low field enhancements, as they allow collective coupling of many quantum dots in a reproducible and predictable manner. In cases where larger field enhancements are required, or for larger quantum dots, nonconcentric ring-disk cavities can be employed instead

International comparisons of behavioral and emotional problems in preschool children: parents’ reports from 24 societies

International comparisons were conducted of preschool children’s behavioral and emotional problems as reported on the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½–5 by parents in 24 societies (N¼19,850). Item ratings were aggregated into scores on syndromes; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–oriented scales; a Stress Problems scale; and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems scales. Effect sizes for scale score differences among the 24 societies ranged from small to medium (3–12%). Although societies differed greatly in language, culture, and other characteristics, Total Problems scores for 18 of the 24 societies were within 7.1 points of the omnicultural mean of 33.3 (on a scale of 0–198). Gender and age differences, as well as gender and age interactions with society, were all very small (effect sizes<1%). Across all pairs of societies, correlations between mean item ratings averaged .78, and correlations between internal consistency alphas for the scales averaged .92, indicating that the rank orders of mean item ratings and internal consistencies of scales were very similar across diverse societies

Adjuvant interferon gamma in patients with pulmonary atypical Mycobacteriosis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High antibiotic resistance is described in atypical Mycobacteriosis, mainly by <it>Mycobacterium avium </it>complex (MAC).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in two hospitals to evaluate the effect of interferon (IFN) gamma as immunoadjuvant to chemotherapy on patients with atypical mycobacteria lung disease. Patients received placebo or 1 × 10⁶IU recombinant human IFN gamma intramuscularly, daily for one month and then three times per week up to 6 months as adjuvant to daily oral azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ethambutol and rifampin. Sputum samples collection for direct smear observation and culture as well as clinical and thorax radiography assessments were done during treatment and one year after. Cytokines and oxidative stress determinations were carried out in peripheral blood before and after treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eighteen patients were included in the IFN group and 14 received placebo. Groups were homogeneous at entry; average age was 60 years, 75% men, 84% white; MAC infection prevailed (94%). At the end of treatment, 72% of patients treated with IFN gamma were evaluated as complete responders, but only 36% in the placebo group. The difference was maintained during follow-up. A more rapid complete response was obtained in the IFN group (5 months before), with a significantly earlier improvement in respiratory symptoms and pulmonary lesions reduction. Disease-related deaths were 35.7% of the patients in the placebo group and only 11.1% in the IFN group. Three patients in the IFN group normalized their globular sedimentation rate values. Although differences in bacteriology were not significant during the treatment period, some patients in the placebo group converted again to positive during follow-up. Significant increments in serum TGF-beta and advanced oxidation protein products were observed in the placebo group but not among IFN receiving patients. Treatments were well tolerated. Flu-like symptoms predominated in the IFN gamma group. No severe events were recorded.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that IFN gamma is useful and well tolerated as adjuvant therapy in patients with pulmonary atypical Mycobacteriosis, predominantly MAC. Further wider clinical trials are encouraged.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN70900209.</p

Rhodium nanoparticles for ultraviolet plasmonics

The nonoxidizing catalytic noble metal rhodium is introduced for ultraviolet plasmonics. Planar tripods of 8 nm Rh nanoparticles, synthesized by a modified polyol reduction method, have a calculated local surface plasmon resonance near 330 nm. By attaching p-aminothiophenol, local field-enhanced Raman spectra and accelerated photodamage were observed under near-resonant ultraviolet illumination, while charge transfer simultaneously increased fluorescence for up to 13 min. The combined local field enhancement and charge transfer demonstrate essential steps toward plasmonically enhanced ultraviolet photocatalysis.This work has been supported by NSF-ECCS-12-32239. This work was partially supported by the Army’s In-house Laboratory Innovative Research program. Financial support from USAITCA (project no. W911NF-13-1-0245) and MICINN (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, project no. FIS2013- 45854-P) is also acknowledged

Anti-tumour necrosis factor discontinuation in inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission: study protocol of a prospective, multicentre, randomized clinical trial

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who achieve remission with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs may have treatment withdrawn due to safety concerns and cost considerations, but there is a lack of prospective, controlled data investigating this strategy. The primary study aim is to compare the rates of clinical remission at 1?year in patients who discontinue anti-TNF treatment versus those who continue treatment. Methods: This is an ongoing, prospective, double-blind, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with Crohn?s disease or ulcerative colitis who have achieved clinical remission for ?6?months with an anti-TNF treatment and an immunosuppressant. Patients are being randomized 1:1 to discontinue anti-TNF therapy or continue therapy. Randomization stratifies patients by the type of inflammatory bowel disease and drug (infliximab versus adalimumab) at study inclusion. The primary endpoint of the study is sustained clinical remission at 1?year. Other endpoints include endoscopic and radiological activity, patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, work productivity), safety and predictive factors for relapse. The required sample size is 194 patients. In addition to the main analysis (discontinuation versus continuation), subanalyses will include stratification by type of inflammatory bowel disease, phenotype and previous treatment. Biological samples will be obtained to identify factors predictive of relapse after treatment withdrawal. Results: Enrolment began in 2016, and the study is expected to end in 2020. Conclusions: This study will contribute prospective, controlled data on outcomes and predictors of relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease after withdrawal of anti-TNF agents following achievement of clinical remission. Clinical trial reference number: EudraCT 2015-001410-1

Light guiding and switching using eccentric core-shell geometries

High Refractive Index (HRI) dielectric nanoparticles have been proposed as an alternative to metallic ones due to their low absorption and magnetodielectric response in the VIS and NIR ranges. For the latter, important scattering directionality effects can be obtained. Also, systems constituted by dimers of HRI dielectric nanoparticles have shown to produce switching effects by playing with the polarization, frequency or intensity of the incident radiation. Here, we show that scattering directionality effects can be achieved with a single eccentric metallo-HRI dielectric core-shell nanoparticle. As an example, the effect of the metallic core displacements for a single Ag-Si core-shell nanoparticle has been analyzed. We report rotation of the main scattering lobe either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the polarization of the incident radiation leading to new scattering configurations for switching purposes. Also, the efficiency of the scattering directionality can be enhanced. Finally, chains of these scattering units have shown good radiation guiding effects, and for 1D periodic arrays, redirection of diffracted intensity can be observed as a consequence of blazing effects. The proposed scattering units constitute new blocks for building systems for optical communications, solar energy harvesting devices and light guiding at the nanoscale level.This research was supported by MICINN (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, project FIS2013-45854-P) and Fundación Iberdrola Espan~a, Call for Research on Energy and the Environment Grants. Á.I.B. and Y.G. want to express her gratitude to the University of Cantabria for their PhD grants