Paternal postnatal depressive symptoms, infant sleeping and feeding behaviors, and rigid parental regulation : a correlational study

Paternal postnatal depression (PND) is now recognized as a serious and prevalent problem, associated with poorer well-being and functioning of all family members. Aspects of infant temperament, sleeping and feeding perceived by parents as problematic are associated with maternal PND, however, less is known about paternal PND. This study investigated depressive symptoms (Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS)) in 219 fathers of infants aged from 1 to 24 weeks (median 7.0 weeks). Infant predictor variables were sleeping problems, feeding problems and both mother and father reported temperament. Control variables were partner’s support, other support and life events. Rigidity of parenting beliefs regarding infant regulation was also measured as a potential moderating factor. Infant feeding difficulties were associated with paternal depressive symptoms, subsuming the variance associated with both sleep problems and temperament. This relationship was not moderated by regulation beliefs. It was concluded that infant feeding is important to fathers. Fathers of infants with feeding difficulties may not be able to fulfill their idealized construction of involved fatherhood. Role incongruence may have an etiological role in paternal PND.

Parent feeding interactions and practices during childhood cancer treatment: A qualitative investigation

In the general population it is evident that parent feeding practices can directly shape a child’s life long dietary intake. Young children undergoing childhood cancer treatment may experience feeding difficulties and limited food intake, due to the inherent side effects of their anti-cancer treatment. What is not clear is how these treatment side effects are influencing the parent–child feeding relationship during anti-cancer treatment. This retrospective qualitative study collected telephone based interview data from 38 parents of childhood cancer patients who had recently completed cancer treatment (child’s mean age: 6.98 years). Parents described a range of treatment side effects that impacted on their child’s ability to eat, often resulting in weight loss. Sixty-one percent of parents (n = 23) reported high levels of stress in regard to their child’s eating and weight loss during treatment. Parents reported stress, feelings of helplessness, and conflict and/or tension between parent and the child during feeding/eating interactions. Parents described using both positive and negative feeding practices, such as: pressuring their child to eat, threatening the insertion of a nasogastric feeding tube, encouraging the child to eat and providing home cooked meals in hospital. Results indicated that parent stress may lead to the use of coping strategies such as positive or negative feeding practices to entice their child to eat during cancer treatment. Future research is recommended to determine the implication of parent feeding practice on the long term diet quality and food preferences of childhood cancer survivors.

Relationships between maternal overweight prior to pregnancy, feeding mode and infant feeding beliefs and practices

Aim To examine whether pre-pregnancy weight status was associated with maternal feeding beliefs and practices in the early post-partum period. Methods Secondary analysis of longitudinal data from Australian mothers. Participants (N=486) were divided into two weight status groups based on self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and measured height: healthy weight (BMI <25kg/m2; n=321) and overweight (BMI>25kg/m2; n=165). Feeding beliefs and practices were self-reported via an established questionnaire that assessed concerns about infant overeating and undereating, awareness of infant cues, feeding to a schedule, and using food to calm. Results Infants of overweight mothers were more likely to have been given solid foods in the previous 24hrs (29% vs 20%) and fewer were fully breastfed (50% vs 64%). Multivariable regression analyses (adjusted for maternal education, parity, average infant weekly weight gain, feeding mode and introduction of solids) revealed pre-pregnancy weight status was not associated with using food to calm, concern about undereating, awareness of infant cues or feeding to a schedule. However feeding mode was associated with feeding beliefs and practices. Conclusions Although no evidence for a relationship between maternal weight status and early maternal feeding beliefs and practices was observed, differences in feeding mode and early introduction of solids was observed. The emergence of a relationship between feeding practices and maternal weight status may occur when the children are older, solid feeding is established and they become more independent in feeding.

The relationship between controlling feeding practices and boys’ and girls’ eating in the absence of hunger

Parental controlling feeding practices have been directly associated with maladaptive child eating behaviours, such as Eating in the Absence of Hunger (EAH). The aim of this study was to examine EAH in very young children (3-4 years old) and to investigate the association between maternal controlling feeding practices and energy intake from a standardised selection of snacks consumed ‘in the absence of hunger’. Thirty-seven mother-child dyads enrolled in the NOURISH RCT participated in a modified EAH protocol conducted in the child’s home. All children displayed EAH, despite 80% reporting to be full or very full following completion of lunch 15 minutes earlier. The relationship between maternal and child covariates and controlling feeding practices and EAH were examined using non-parametric tests, and were stratified by child gender. For boys only, pressure to eat was positively associated with EAH. Neither restriction nor monitoring practices were associated with EAH in either boys or girls. Overall, the present findings suggest gender differences in the relationship between maternal feeding practices and children’s eating behaviours emerge early and should be considered in future research and intervention design.

Maintaining or changing a drinking behavior? GOKA's short-term outcomes

During the critical neurobiological and social developmental period of adolescence, binge drinking of alcohol increases the risk of mental health problems, school exclusion, convictions, fatal and non-fatal accidents. The present research utilizes a simple cluster randomized control trial design to evaluate a social marketing program, Game On: Know Alcohol (GOKA), employing innovative online edutainment games to target binge drinking. Pre and post data were collected for seven program (942 students, mean age: 14.6 years) and five control schools (578 students, mean age: 14.4 years). Significant improvements in alcohol knowledge and affective attitude toward binge drinking was observed for adolescents who participated in GOKA compared to the control group, with maintenance of desirable subjective norms, instrumental attitudes and intentions. Given considerable external competition from messages promoting the benefits of alcohol use, a one-off program that modifies incorrect knowledge and alters perceptions of binge drinking as a fun, recreational activity represents an important step. This research contributes to current understanding of social marketing’s capacity to change drivers and maintain inhibitors of binge drinking intentions of adolescents and provides an important basis for future research in the domain.

Understanding the behavior of workshop facilitators in systems analysis and design projects: Developing theory from process modeling projects

Organizational and technological systems analysis and design practices such as process modeling have received much attention in recent years. However, while knowledge about related artifacts such as models, tools, or grammars has substantially matured, little is known about the actual tasks and interaction activities that are conducted as part of analysis and design acts. In particular, key role of the facilitator has not been researched extensively to date. In this paper, we propose a new conceptual framework that can be used to examine facilitation behaviors in process modeling projects. The framework distinguishes four behavioral styles in facilitation (the driving engineer, the driving artist, the catalyzing engineer, and the catalyzing artist) that a facilitator can adopt. To distinguish between the four styles, we provide a set of ten behavioral anchors that underpin facilitation behaviors. We also report on a preliminary empirical exploration of our framework through interviews with experienced analysts in six modeling cases. Our research provides a conceptual foundation for an emerging theory for describing and explaining different behaviors associated with process modeling facilitation, provides first preliminary empirical results about facilitation in modeling projects, and provides a fertile basis for examining facilitation in other conceptual modeling activities.

An early feeding practices intervention for obesity prevention

Objective - Report long term outcomes of the NOURISH randomized controlled trial (RCT) that evaluated a universal intervention commencing in infancy to provide anticipatory guidance to first-time mothers on ‘protective’ complementary feeding practices which were hypothesized to reduce childhood obesity risk. Subjects and Methods - The NOURISH RCT enrolled 698 mothers (mean age 30.1 years, SD=5.3) with healthy term infants (51% female). Mothers were randomly allocated to usual care or to attend two 6-session, 12-week group education modules. Outcomes were assessed five times: baseline (infants 4.3 months); 6 months after module 1 (infants 14 months); 6 months after module 2 (infants 2 years) and at 3.5 and 5 years of age. Maternal feeding practices were self-reported using validated questionnaires. BMI Z-score was calculated from measured child height and weight. Linear Mixed Models evaluated intervention (group) effect across time. Results - Retention at 5 years of age was 61%. Across ages 2-5 years, intervention mothers reported less frequent use of non-responsive feeding practices on 6/9 scales. At 5 years they also reported more appropriate responses to food refusal on 7/12 items (Ps ≤.05). No statistically significant group effect was noted for anthropometric outcomes (BMI Z-score: P=.06), or the prevalence of overweight/obesity (control 13.3% vs. intervention 11.4%, P=.66). Conclusions - Anticipatory guidance on complementary feeding resulted in first-time mothers reporting increased use of protective feeding practices. These intervention effects were sustained up to five years of age and were paralleled by a non-significant trend for lower child BMI Z-scores at all post-intervention assessment points.

Thermal behavior of kaolinite–urea intercalation complex and molecular dynamics simulation for urea molecule orientation

The thermal behavior of kaolinite–urea intercalation complex was investigated by thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, the interaction mode of urea molecules intercalated into the kaolinite gallery was studied by means of molecular dynamics simulation. Three main mass losses were observed at 136 °C, in the range of 210–270 °C, and at 500 °C in the TG–DSC curves, which were, respectively, attributed to (1) melting of the surface-adsorbed urea, (2) removal of the intercalated urea, and (3) dehydroxylation of the deintercalated kaolinite. The three DSC endothermic peaks at 218, 250, and 261 °C were related to the successive removals of intercalated urea with three different distribution structures. Based on the angle between the dipole moment vector of urea and the basal surface of kaolinite, the three urea models could be described as follows: (1) Type A, the dipole moment vector is nearly parallel to the basal surface of kaolinite; (2) Type B, the dipole moment vector points to the silica tetrahedron with the angle between it and the basal surface of kaolinite ranging from 20°to 40°; and (3) Type C, the dipole moment vector is nearly perpendicular to the basal surface of kaolinite. The three distribution structures of urea molecules were validated by the results of the molecular dynamics simulation. Furthermore, the thermal behavior of the kaolinite–urea intercalation complex investigated by TG–DSC was also supported by FTIR and XRD analyses.

Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructured Materials

This Special Issue presents recent research advances in various aspects of advanced nanomaterials including synthesis, micro- and nanostructures, mechanical properties, modeling, and applications for material nanotechnology community. In particular, it aims to reflect recent advances in mechanical behaviors, for example, stiffness, strength, ductility, fatigue, and wear resistance, of various nanomaterials including nanocrystalline, inorganic, nonmetallic nanomaterials, composites with nanosized fillers, and biomaterials with nanosized structures. The role of this Special Issue is to bridge the gaps among fabrication techniques, experimental techniques, numerical modeling, and applications for some new nanomaterials and to investigate some key issues related to the mechanical properties of the nanomaterials. It brings together researchers working at the frontier of the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials...

Microscale consolidation analysis of relaxation behavior of single living chondrocytes subjected to varying strain-rates

Besides the elastic stiffness, the relaxation behavior of single living cells is also of interest of various researchers when studying cell mechanics. It is hypothesized that the relaxation response of the cells is governed by both intrinsic viscoelasticity of the solid phase and fluid-solid interactions mechanisms. There are a number of mechanical models have been developed to investigate the relaxation behavior of single cells. However, there is lack of model enable to accurately capture both of the mechanisms. Therefore, in this study, the porohyperelastic (PHE) model, which is an extension of the consolidation theory, combined with inverse Finite Element Analysis (FEA) technique was used at the first time to investigate the relaxation response of living chondrocytes. This model was also utilized to study the dependence of relaxation behavior of the cells on strain-rates. The stress-relaxation experiments under the various strain-rates were conducted with the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The results have demonstrated that the PHE model could effectively capture the stress-relaxation behavior of the living chondrocytes, especially at intermediate to high strain-rates. Although this model gave some errors at lower strain-rates, its performance was acceptable. Therefore, the PHE model is properly a promising model for single cell mechanics studies. Moreover, it has been found that the hydraulic permeability of living chondrocytes reduced with decreasing of strain-rates. It might be due to the intracellular fluid volume fraction and the fluid pore pressure gradients of chondrocytes were higher when higher strain-rates applied.

Proactive behavior-based safety management for construction safety improvement

Construction is one of the most hazardous industries due to its dynamic, temporary, and decentralized nature. The Hong Kong Commissioner for Labor identifies worker behavior as the root cause of construction accidents. Behavior-based safety (BBS) is one effective approach in managing employee safety issues. However, there is little research on the application of BBS in the construction industry. This research proposes an extension of the BBS approach, proactive behavior-based safety (PBBS), to improve construction safety. PBBS integrates the theory of BBS with the technology of Proactive Construction Management System (PCMS). The innovations of PBBS are: (1) automatically monitoring location-based behaviors; (2)quantitatively measuring safety performance; (3) investigating potential causes of unsafe behaviors; and (4) improving the efficiency of safety management. A pilot study of a Hong Kong construction site practicing PBBS was conducted. The experiment results showed that PBBS performed well on construction accident prevention and the Safety Index (SI) of the two project teams, with increased improvements by 36.07% and 44.70% respectively. It is concluded that PBBS is effective and adaptable to construction industry.

How does commuting behavior change due to incentives? An empirical study of the Beijing Subway System

This study examines the impact of incentives on commuters' travel behavior based upon a questionnaire survey conducted with respect to the Beijing Subway System. Overall, we find that offering incentives to commuters, particularly fast food restaurant-related services and reduced ticket fares, has a positive influence on avoiding the morning rush hour. Furthermore, by using an interaction analysis, we discover that a flexible work schedule has an impact on commuters' behavior and the efficiency of the subway system. Finally, we recommend two possible policies to maximize the utility of the subway system and to reduce congestion at the peak of morning service: (1) a set of incentives that includes free wireless internet service with a coupon for breakfast and a discount on ticket fares before the morning peak, and; (2) the introduction of a flexible work schedule.

An MRI study of pituitary volume and parasuicidal behavior in teenagers with first-presentation borderline personality disorder

This structural magnetic resonance imaging study examined the relationship between pituitary gland volume (PGV) and lifetime number of parasuicidal behaviors in a first-presentation, teenage borderline personality disorder (BPD) sample with minimal exposure to treatment. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that age and number of parasuicidal behaviors were significant predictors of PGV. These findings indicate that parasuicidal behavior in BPD might be associated with greater activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Further studies are required using direct neuroendocrine measures and exploring other parameters of self-injurious behavior, such as recency of self-injurious behavior, intent to die and medical threat.

Mechanical behavior of circular and square concrete filled steel tube stub columns under local compression

This paper presents a combined experimental and numerical study on the behaviour of both circular and square concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) stub columns under local compression. Twelve circular and eight square CFT stub columns were tested to study their bearing capacity and the key influential parameters. A 3D finite element model was established for simulation and parametric study to investigate the structural behaviour of the stub columns. The numerical results agreed well with the experimental results. In addition, analytical formulas were proposed to calculate the load bearing capacity of CFT stub columns under local compression.