Study of parental models: building an instrument for their exploration

Objective: This research presents the construction of an attributional questionnaire concerning the different parental models and factors that are involved in family interactions. Method: A mixed methodology was used as a foundation to develop items and respective pilots that allowed checking the validity and internal consistency of the instrument using expert judgment. Results: An instrument of 36 statements was organized into 12 categories to explore the parental models according to the following factors: parental models, breeding patterns, attachment bonds and guidelines for success, and promoted inside family contexts. Analyzing these factors contributes to the children’s development within the familiar frown, and the opportunity for socio-educational intervention. Conclusion: It is assumed that the family context is as decisive as the school context; therefore, exploring the nature of parental models is required to understand the features and influences that contribute to the development of young people in any social context.





Geographic variation in sex-chromosome differentiation in the common frog (Rana temporaria).

In sharp contrast with birds and mammals, sex-determination systems in ectothermic vertebrates are often highly dynamic and sometimes multifactorial. Both environmental and genetic effects have been documented in common frogs (Rana temporaria). One genetic linkage group, mapping to the largest pair of chromosomes and harbouring the candidate sex-determining gene Dmrt1, associates with sex in several populations throughout Europe, but association varies both within and among populations. Here, we show that sex association at this linkage group differs among populations along a 1500-km transect across Sweden. Genetic differentiation between sexes is strongest (FST  = 0.152) in a northern-boreal population, where male-specific alleles and heterozygote excesses (FIS  = -0.418 in males, +0.025 in females) testify to a male-heterogametic system and lack of X-Y recombination. In the southernmost population (nemoral climate), in contrast, sexes share the same alleles at the same frequencies (FST  = 0.007 between sexes), suggesting unrestricted recombination. Other populations show intermediate levels of sex differentiation, with males falling in two categories: some cluster with females, while others display male-specific Y haplotypes. This polymorphism may result from differences between populations in the patterns of X-Y recombination, co-option of an alternative sex-chromosome pair, or a mixed sex-determination system where maleness is controlled either by genes or by environment depending on populations or families. We propose approaches to test among these alternative models, to disentangle the effects of climate and phylogeography on the latitudinal trend, and to sort out how this polymorphism relates to the 'sexual races' described in common frogs in the 1930s.

DNR Interactive Mapping: A tool for Iowa Agriculture, 2006

The planning tools you need to improve both your farming operation and Iowa’s streams and lakes are right at your fingertips. With DNR interactive mapping online, you can access a large amount of information for free and without special software.

Intervention précoce en Guidance Interactive et modification de la réactivité neuroendocrinienne chez l'ancien grand prématuré âgé de 12 mois et sa mère

L'étude a pour objectif de mettre en évidence les effets d'une intervention précoce inspirée des thérapies en Guidance Interactive sur la qualité de l'attachement ainsi que sur la réactivité neuroendocrinienne de stress chez des grands prématurés âgés de 12 mois ainsi que chez leurs mères. La population étudiée comprend 48 grands prématurés (<33 semaines de gestation) et leurs mères. Un programme d'intervention précoce a été proposé aléatoirement à la moitié des dyades incluses dans l'étude. Des mesures de cortisol salivaire ont été effectuées à 12 mois lors d'un épisode de stress modéré (la Situation Étrange) tant chez la mère que chez l'enfant. Les mères ayant bénéficié de l'intervention précoce montrent des taux de cortisol plus élevés que celles n'ayant pas bénéficié de l'intervention. Les auteurs font l'hypothèse que ces mères ont pu développer leur sensibilité envers leur enfant et se montrent, par conséquent, plus concernées lors de l'épisode de stress modéré. The present project aims to assess the effects of an early intervention inspired from Interactive Guidance therapy, on later attachment quality and stress reactivity of prematurely born infants and their mothers. The studied population contends 48 preterm born infants (< 33 weeks og gestational age). Half of the dyads receive an intervention program aiming at promoting the parents' responsivity-sensitivity to infant's cues. Infant's and mother's stress reactivity (salivary cortisol) to mild stressors (Strange Situation) will be assessed at 12 months. Mothers with intervention program show higher cortisol levels than the others. The authors postulate that these mothers enhance their caregiving quality and, subsequently, are more prone to be sensitive to infant's cues and to be concerned during the mild stress episode.

How geographic distance and depth drive ecological variability and isolation of demersal fish communities in an archipelago system (Cape Verde, Eastern Atlantic Ocean)

Cape Verde is a tropical oceanic ecosystem, highly fragmented and dispersed, with islands physically isolated by distance and depth. To understand how isolation affects the ecological variability in this archipelago, we conducted a research project on the community structure of the 18 commercially most important demersal fishes. An index of ecological distance based on species relative dominance (Di) is developed from Catch Per Unit Effort, derived from an extensive database of artisanal fisheries. Two ecological measures of distance between islands are calculated: at the species level, DDi, and at the community level, DD (sum of DDi). A physical isolation factor (Idb) combining distance (d) and bathymetry (b) is proposed. Covariance analysis shows that isolation factor is positively correlated with both DDi and DD, suggesting that Idb can be considered as an ecological isolation factor. The effect of Idb varies with season and species. This effect is stronger in summer (May to November), than in winter (December to April), which appears to be more unstable. Species react differently to Idb, independently of season. A principal component analysis on the monthly (DDi) for the 12 islands and the 18 species, complemented by an agglomerative hierarchical clustering, shows a geographic pattern of island organization, according to Idb. Results indicate that the ecological structure of demersal fish communities of Cape Verde archipelago, both in time and space, can be explained by a geographic isolation factor. The analytical approach used here is promising and could be tested in other archipelago systems.

New species of Bakeriella (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from the New World and new data on geographic distribution

Bakeriella lata sp. nov. (Brazil, Rondônia), Bakeriella aurata sp. nov. (Brazil, Amazonas) and Bakeriella sulcaticeps sp. nov. (Brazil, Amazonas) are described and illustrated. New geographic records and variation data for B. cristata Evans, 1964, B. floridana Evans, 1964, B. flavicornis Kieffer, 1910, B. incompleta Azevedo, 1994, B. mira Evans, 1997, B. montivaga (Kieffer, 1910), B. olmeca Evans, 1964 and B. subcarinata Evans, 1965 are provided. The male of B. incompleta is described for the first time.

MyHits: improvements to an interactive resource for analyzing protein sequences.

The MyHits web site (http://myhits.isb-sib.ch) is an integrated service dedicated to the analysis of protein sequences. Since its first description in 2004, both the user interface and the back end of the server were improved. A number of tools (e.g. MAFFT, Jacop, Dotlet, Jalview, ESTScan) were added or updated to improve the usability of the service. The MySQL schema and its associated API were revamped and the database engine (HitKeeper) was separated from the web interface. This paper summarizes the current status of the server, with an emphasis on the new services.

Improving Transition Outcomes: CASE (Career And Self Exploration): Replication Template

Replication Template for Improving Transition Outcomes CASE (Career And Self Exploration) Prototype. This concise document explains how your team can implement CASE and the corresponding entrepreneurship component.

Coparenting and Toddler's Interactive Styles in Family Coalitions

The current study examined the coparenting and toddler's interactive styles in family coalitions. According to structural family theory, boundaries between generations are clear in alliances, but disturbed in coalitions: the parents look to the child to regulate their conflictual relationship and the child attempts to meet this need. In a normative sample studied longitudinally during the Lausanne Trilogue Play situation (LTP, N=38), 15 coalition cases were detected. Styles of coparenting and of child's interactions were determined and compared in coalition and alliance cases at 18 months. Findings confirm the structural family model by showing the specific ways in which the coparenting and the toddler's interactive styles are associated in 3 different patterns of coalitions: binding, detouring, and triangulation. They illustrate how the child's triangular capacity, or her ability to simultaneously communicate with both parents, is used to regulate the parents' relationship. They suggest that the LTP observational paradigm is a promising assessment method of early family interactions. They point to the importance of assessing early the child's contribution to family coalitions.

Implementing interactive computing in an object-oriented environment

Statistical computing when input/output is driven by a Graphical User Interface is considered. A proposal is made for automatic control ofcomputational flow to ensure that only strictly required computationsare actually carried on. The computational flow is modeled by a directed graph for implementation in any object-oriented programming language with symbolic manipulation capabilities. A complete implementation example is presented to compute and display frequency based piecewise linear density estimators such as histograms or frequency polygons.

Interactive local bandwidth choice

A tool for user choice of the local bandwidth function for a kernel density estimate is developed using KDE, a graphical object-oriented package for interactive kernel density estimation written in LISP-STAT. The bandwidth function is a cubic spline, whose knots are manipulated by the user in one window, while the resulting estimate appears in another window. A real data illustration of this method raises concerns, because an extremely large family of estimates is available.

The three phases of the ensemble forecasting of niche models: geographic range and shifts in climatically suitable areas of Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae)

Species' geographic ranges are usually considered as basic units in macroecology and biogeography, yet it is still difficult to measure them accurately for many reasons. About 20 years ago, researchers started using local data on species' occurrences to estimate broad scale ranges, thereby establishing the niche modeling approach. However, there are still many problems in model evaluation and application, and one of the solutions is to find a consensus solution among models derived from different mathematical and statistical models for niche modeling, climatic projections and variable combination, all of which are sources of uncertainty during niche modeling. In this paper, we discuss this approach of ensemble forecasting and propose that it can be divided into three phases with increasing levels of complexity. Phase I is the simple combination of maps to achieve a consensual and hopefully conservative solution. In Phase II, differences among the maps used are described by multivariate analyses, and Phase III consists of the quantitative evaluation of the relative magnitude of uncertainties from different sources and their mapping. To illustrate these developments, we analyzed the occurrence data of the tiger moth, Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae), a Neotropical moth species, and modeled its geographic range in current and future climates.

Did colonization matter for growth? An empirical exploration into the historical causes of Africa's underdevelopment

We investigate the impact of 20th--century European colonizationon growth in Africa. We find that in the 1960--88 period growth has beenfaster for dependencies than for colonies; for British and Frenchcolonies than for Portuguese, Belgian and Italian ones; and for countrieswith less economic penetration during the colonial period. On average,African growth accelerates after decolonization. Proxies for colonialheritage add explanatory power to growth regressions and make indicatorsfor human capital, political and ethnic instability lose significance.Colonial variables capture the same effects of a sub--Saharan dummy andreduce its significance when jointly included in a cross sectionalregression with 98 countries.