Nonresidential father perception of father-child relationships: An exploratory analysis of family functioning

Nonresidential father experiences of family life with their children lack attention in the literature. Nonresidential fathers often suffer considerably, as they attempt to continue their parenting role with limited access lime. Consequently, their relationships with their children may suffer, sometimes resulting in visitation ceasing altogether. Father contact is important to the developmental and psychological well-being of children, yet is often hindered by restricted access, distance, parental conflict and the father\u27s emotional state. Nonresidential father perspectives of family life with their children are explored in this study, to gain insight into nonresidential father experiences. This study replicated a study conducted by S. A. Esposito (1995) and extended it through an exploratory analysis of family functioning. A multimethod approach, recommended for family research, incorporated quantitative and qualitative methodology. A purposive sample included 46 nonresidential fathers, recruited through various means. Five participants were randomly chosen from the main sample for interviewing. The study is in two sections, the replication involving a survey questionnaire, correlational research, cross sectional design and the exploratory analysis, which Involved semi-structured face to face Interviews. Two hypotheses suggested that cohesion and adaptability in the nonresidential father-child family would be predicted by the quality of parental interactions and the quality of father-child interactions. Cohesion and adaptability are measures of family functioning according to the Circumplex Model for Marital and Family Systems. The exploratory Nonresidential Father-Child Families 3 analysis provided explanations of findings from the study and Information regarding the suitability of the model for nonresidential father-child families. The quality of father-child Interactions did predict cohesion in the nonresidential father-child family, but not adaptability. Parental interaction quality did not predict cohesion or adaptability. Some components of the model appear suitable for nonresidential father-child families, while others are considered unsuttable. Suggestions for adapting the model to suit nonresidential father-child families are offered. Valuable insights into nonresidential father experiences offer information for professionals working with divorced families. Several recommendations are given for further research and suggestions for intervention strategies that increase parental awareness are presented. The importance of parental cooperation in decisions regarding children of divorced homes is highlighted

Specific domains of self-esteem in adolescents : Differences between suicide ideated, depressed and non-depressed samples

A 1997 West Australian Child Health Survey (Zubrick et al., 1997) highlighted the need to explore issues regarding problems leading to emotional distress in adolescents. Adolescent self-esteem and suicidal ideation emerged as issues that required further research. The need to understand adolescent issues from a developmental perspective was also evident, due to the difficulties teenagers typically face during their adolescent years. This study builds on previous research by S. Harter and her colleagues, which identified different domains of self-esteem in young adolescents from a general population. Domains of self-esteem according to Harter\u27s Self perception Profile for Adolescents (1988) and Social Support Scale for Children (1985) are explored in this study, comparing three different groups of older adolescents. The purposive sample included 78 participants aged 16 to 18 years, including 53 from the general population, 33 non-depressed and 20 depressed and, 25 adolescents who are receiving therapy after being diagnosed with recent experiences of suicidal ideation. Four research questions are posed to explore comparisons between the three groups in different domains of self-esteem. Self-perception is explored in nine domains, scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, job competence, romantic appeal, behavioural conduct, close friendship and global self-worth. Discrepancy scores, where perceived importance is greater than perceived competence in different domains are also explored. The discrepancy scores identify perceived inadequacies in different domains, indicating specific areas where self-esteem is threatened in the suicide-ideated group. Perceived parental and peer support are also compared between the three groups to ascertain how teenagers view themselves through the eyes of significant people in their lives. It was expected that perceived physical appearance, social acceptance, athletic competence, scholastic competence and behavioural conduct would be higher in the non-depressed teenagers than in the depressed and suicidal ideated samples. Larger discrepancy scores were expected in the suicidal ideated adolescents than those in the general population, indicating greater perceived inadequacies in domains of self-esteem. It was also expected that the clinical group would score lower perceived parental support and lower perceived peer support than the other groups. Results provided differences between the three groups, with global self-worth, physical appearance and scholastic competence emerging as being of most concern for suicide ideated adolescents. Implications for clinicians working with depressed and suicidal adolescents are discussed within the context of current literature. Suggestions for further research are proposed and practical implications regarding clinical assessment for suicidal adolescents are discussed

Contextual behavioural coaching: An evidence-based model for supporting behaviour change

As coaching psychology finds its feet, demands for evidence-based approaches are increasing both from inside and outside of the industry. There is an opportunity in the many evidence-based interventions in other areas of applied psychology that are of direct relevance to coaching psychology. However, there may too be risks associated with unprincipled eclecticism. Existing approaches that are gaining popularity in the coaching field such as Dialectic Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness enjoy close affiliation with Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS). In this article, we provide a brief overview of CBS as a coherent philosophical, scientific, and practice framework for empirically supported coaching work. We review its evidence base, and its direct applicability to coaching by describing CBS’s most explicitly linked intervention – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT). We highlight key strengths of ACT including: its great flexibility in regard of the kinds of client change it can support; the variety of materials and exercises available; and, the varied modes of delivery through which it has been shown to work. The article lays out guiding principles and provides a brief illustrative case study of Contextual Behavioural Coaching

Modification of 15q11 — q13 DNA methylation imprints in unique Angelman and Prader — Willi patients

The clearest example of genomic Imprinting in humans comes from studies of the Angelman (AS) and Prader—Wil (PWS) syndromes. Although these are clinically distinct disorders, both typically result from a loss of the same chromosomal region, 15q11 - q13. AS usually results from either a maternal deletion of this region, or paternal uniparental disomy (UPD; both chromosomes 15 Inherited from the father). PWS results from paternal deletion of 15q11 - q13 or maternal UPD of chromosome 15. We have recently described a parent-specific DNA methylation imprint in a gene at the D15S9 locus (new gene symbol, ZNF 127), within the 15q11 - q13 region, that identifies AS and PWS patients with either a deletion or UPD. Here we describe an AS sibship and three PWS patients in which chromosome 15 rearrangements alter the methylation state at ZNF127, even though this locus is not directly involved in the rearrangement. Parent-specific DNA methylation imprints are also altered at ZNF127 and D15S63 (another locus with a parent-specific methylation imprint) in an AS sibship which have no detectable deletion or UPD of chromosome 15. These unique patients may provide insight into the imprinting process that occurs in proximal chromosome 15 in human

Ultra-brief non-expert-delivered defusion and acceptance exercises for food cravings: A partial replication study

Food cravings are a common barrier to losing weight. This paper presents a randomised comparison of non-expert group-delivered ultra-brief defusion and acceptance interventions against a distraction control. Sixty-three participants were asked to carry a bag of chocolates for a week whilst trying to resist the temptation to eat them. A behavioural rebound measure was administered. Each intervention out-performed control in respect of consumption, but not cravings. These techniques may have a place in the clinical management of food cravings. We provide tentative evidence that the mechanism of action is through decreased reactivity to cravings, not through reduced frequency of cravings

A cancer rainbow mouse for visualizing the functional genomics of oncogenic clonal expansion.

Field cancerization is a premalignant process marked by clones of oncogenic mutations spreading through the epithelium. The timescales of intestinal field cancerization can be variable and the mechanisms driving the rapid spread of oncogenic clones are unknown. Here we use a Cancer rainbow (Crainbow) modelling system for fluorescently barcoding somatic mutations and directly visualizing the clonal expansion and spread of oncogenes. Crainbow shows that mutations of ß-catenin (Ctnnb1) within the intestinal stem cell results in widespread expansion of oncogenes during perinatal development but not in adults. In contrast, mutations that extrinsically disrupt the stem cell microenvironment can spread in adult intestine without delay. We observe the rapid spread of premalignant clones in Crainbow mice expressing oncogenic Rspondin-3 (RSPO3), which occurs by increasing crypt fission and inhibiting crypt fixation. Crainbow modelling provides insight into how somatic mutations rapidly spread and a plausible mechanism for predetermining the intratumor heterogeneity found in colon cancers

Influenza H5N1 and H1N1 Virus Replication and Innate Immune Responses in Bronchial Epithelial Cells Are Influenced by the State of Differentiation

Influenza H5N1 virus continues to be enzootic in poultry and transmits zoonotically to humans. Although a swine-origin H1N1 virus has emerged to become pandemic, its virulence for humans remains modest in comparison to that seen in zoonotic H5N1 disease. As human respiratory epithelium is the primary target cells for influenza viruses, elucidating the viral tropism and host innate immune responses of influenza H5N1 virus in human bronchial epithelium may help to understand the pathogenesis. Here we established primary culture of undifferentiated and well differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells and infected with highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 virus (A/Vietnam/3046/2004) and a seasonal influenza H1N1 virus (A/Hong Kong/54/1998), the viral replication kinetics and cytokine and chemokine responses were compared by qPCR and ELISA. We found that the in vitro culture of the well differentiated NHBE cells acquired the physiological properties of normal human bronchi tissue which express high level of α2-6-linked sialic acid receptors and human airway trypsin-like (HAT) protease, in contrast to the low expression in the non-differentiated NHBE cells. When compared to H1N1 virus, the H5N1 virus replicated more efficiently and induced a stronger type I interferon response in the undifferentiated NHBE cells. In contrast, in well differentiated cultures, H5N1 virus replication was less efficient and elicited a lower interferon-beta response in comparison with H1N1 virus. Our data suggest that the differentiation of bronchial epithelial cells has a major influence in cells' permissiveness to human H1N1 and avian H5N1 viruses and the host innate immune responses. The reduced virus replication efficiency partially accounts for the lower interferon-beta responses in influenza H5N1 virus infected well differentiated NHBE cells. Since influenza infection in the bronchial epithelium will lead to tissue damage and associate with the epithelium regeneration, the data generated from the undifferentiated NHBE cultures may also be relevant to disease pathogenesis

It's not just What you do, it's also the Way that you do it: Patient and Public Involvement in the Development of Health Research

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in International Journal for Quality in Health Care following peer review. The version of record will be available online at: https://academic.oup.com/intqhc/issue, DOI: 10.1093/INTQHC/MZX177.Purpose: This paper presents a reflective account of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in the development of obesity and binge eating research. Method: We established Patient Advisory Groups (PAGs) at two English regional National Health Service (NHS) weight management services. PPI was evaluated as follows; (1) PAG members completed a PPEQ, (2) PAG meetings captured group discussion on PPI involvement, (3) practitioner and researchers produced written reflections on PPI, (4) sources one to three were consolidated during reflections that took place via e-mail and telephone correspondence between researchers and practitioners, culminating in a summary SKYPE meeting between one practitioner and one researcher involved in the PAGs. Results: Results in the form of reflections suggest guidelines on undertaking PPI were helpful with regards what to do, but less helpful on how. For example, suggestions for the management of interpersonal factors such as eliciting self-disclosure and managing power differentials are insufficiently addressed in existing guidelines. Conclusions: The present case study illustrated how interpersonal considerations can help or hinder the optimal use of PPI. Recommendations for practitioners and researchers planning PPI are offered

Going it alone won’t work! The relational imperative for social innovation in social enterprises

Shifts in the philosophy of the “state” and a growing emphasis on the “Big Society” have placed an increasing onus on a newly emerging organizational form, social enterprises, to deliver innovative solutions to ease societal issues. However, the question of how social enterprises manage the process of social innovation remains largely unexplored. Based on insights from both in-depth interviews and a quantitative empirical study of social enterprises, this research examines the role of stakeholder relationships in supporting the process of social innovation within social enterprises. We find that social enterprises are adept at working with their stakeholders in the ideation stage of social innovation. In contrast, they often fail to harness knowledge and expertise from their partners during the social innovation implementation phase. Consequently, we propose a social innovation–stakeholder relationship matrix that provides social enterprises in particular with insight for developing stakeholder relationships to achieve their social innovation missions

Avian Influenza Virus Glycoproteins Restrict Virus Replication and Spread through Human Airway Epithelium at Temperatures of the Proximal Airways

Transmission of avian influenza viruses from bird to human is a rare event even though avian influenza viruses infect the ciliated epithelium of human airways in vitro and ex vivo. Using an in vitro model of human ciliated airway epithelium (HAE), we demonstrate that while human and avian influenza viruses efficiently infect at temperatures of the human distal airways (37°C), avian, but not human, influenza viruses are restricted for infection at the cooler temperatures of the human proximal airways (32°C). These data support the hypothesis that avian influenza viruses, ordinarily adapted to the temperature of the avian enteric tract (40°C), rarely infect humans, in part due to differences in host airway regional temperatures. Previously, a critical residue at position 627 in the avian influenza virus polymerase subunit, PB2, was identified as conferring temperature-dependency in mammalian cells. Here, we use reverse genetics to show that avianization of residue 627 attenuates a human virus, but does not account for the different infection between 32°C and 37°C. To determine the mechanism of temperature restriction of avian influenza viruses in HAE at 32°C, we generated recombinant human influenza viruses in either the A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2) or A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) genetic background that contained avian or avian-like glycoproteins. Two of these viruses, A/Victoria/3/75 with L226Q and S228G mutations in hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) from A/Chick/Italy/1347/99 and A/PR/8/34 containing the H7 and N1 from A/Chick/Italy/1347/99, exhibited temperature restriction approaching that of wholly avian influenza viruses. These data suggest that influenza viruses bearing avian or avian-like surface glycoproteins have a reduced capacity to establish productive infection at the temperature of the human proximal airways. This temperature restriction may limit zoonotic transmission of avian influenza viruses and suggests that adaptation of avian influenza viruses to efficient infection at 32°C may represent a critical evolutionary step enabling human-to-human transmission