Minor structural abnormalities in the infant face disrupt neural processing: a unique window into early caregiving responses

Infant faces elicit early, specific activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a key cortical region for reward and affective processing. A test of the causal relationship between infant facial configuration and OFC activity is provided by naturally occurring disruptions to the face structure. One such disruption is cleft lip, a small change to one facial feature, shown to disrupt parenting. Using magnetoencephalography, we investigated neural responses to infant faces with cleft lip compared with typical infant and adult faces. We found activity in the right OFC at 140 ms in response to typical infant faces but diminished activity to infant faces with cleft lip or adult faces. Activity in the right fusiform face area was of similar magnitude for typical adult and infant faces but was significantly lower for infant faces with cleft lip. This is the first evidence that a minor change to the infant face can disrupt neural activity potentially implicated in caregiving.

Ratings of age of acquisition of 299 words across 25 languages: is there a cross-linguistic order of words?

We present a new set of subjective age-of-acquisition (AoA) ratings for 299 words (158 nouns, 141 verbs) in 25 languages from five language families (Afro-Asiatic: Semitic languages; Altaic: one Turkic language: Indo-European: Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Hellenic, Slavic, and Romance languages; Niger-Congo: one Bantu language; Uralic: Finnic and Ugric languages). Adult native speakers reported the age at which they had learned each word. We present a comparison of the AoA ratings across all languages by contrasting them in pairs. This comparison shows a consistency in the orders of ratings across the 25 languages. The data were then analyzed (1) to ascertain how the demographic characteristics of the participants influenced AoA estimations and (2) to assess differences caused by the exact form of the target question (when did you learn vs. when do children learn this word); (3) to compare the ratings obtained in our study to those of previous studies; and (4) to assess the validity of our study by comparison with quasi-objective AoA norms derived from the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI). All 299 words were judged as being acquired early (mostly before the age of 6 years). AoA ratings were associated with the raters’ social or language status, but not with the raters’ age or education. Parents reported words as being learned earlier, and bilinguals reported learning them later. Estimations of the age at which children learn the words revealed significantly lower ratings of AoA. Finally, comparisons with previous AoA and MB-CDI norms support the validity of the present estimations. Our AoA ratings are available for research or other purposes.

The effects of lipoic acid and alpha-tocopherol supplementation on the lipid profile and insulin sensitivity of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Antioxidants probably play an important role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes (DM2). This study evaluated the effects of supplementation with lipoic acid (LA) and alpha-tocopherol on the lipid profile and insulin sensitivity of DM2 patients. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 102 DM2 patients divided into four groups to receive daily supplementation for 4 months with: 600 mg LA (n = 26); 800 mg alpha-tocopherol (n = 25); 800 mg alpha-tocopherol + 600 mg LA (n = 25); placebo (n = 26). Plasma alpha-tocopherol, lipid profile, glucose, insulin, and the HOMA index were determined before and after supplementation. Differences within and between groups were compared by ANOVA using Bonferroni correction. Student`s t-test was used to compare means of two independent variables. The vitamin E/total cholesterol ratio improved significantly in patients supplemented with vitamin E + LA and vitamin E alone (p <= 0.001). There were improvements of the lipid fractions in the groups receiving LA and vitamin E alone or in combination, and on the HOMA index in the LA group, but not significant. The results suggest that LA and vitamin E supplementation alone or in combination did not affect the lipid profile or insulin sensitivity of DM2 patients. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Det gick an? : Variationer i föräktenskaplig sexuell aktivitet och sedlighet i Nås socken kring mitten av 1700-talet

Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera hur olika näringsområden i Nås socken, under perioden 1744-1764, skapade olika mönster i föräktenskaplig sexualitet och sedlighet. Materialet som undersökningen grundar sig på är domstolsprotokoll, lysnings- och vigselböcker och födelse- och dopböcker, för Nås socken och Säfsnäs församling. De undersökta områdena är Nås finnmark, vilken befolkades vid en senare tid än det andra undersökningsområdet, Nås svenskbygd, som bestod av självägande små¬bönder vilka varit boende i området under en mycket längre tid än finnmarkens in¬vånare. Resultatet uppvisar en högre frekvens av sedlighetsbrott i finnmarksområdet. Kvinnorna på finnmarken hade även oftare haft föräktenskapliga förbindelser, vilket har visat sig genom att de oftare hade ett utomäktenskapligt barn vid giftermålet. Föräktenskapliga relationer förekom inom båda områdena, vilket undersökningen om kvinnorna var gravida vid vigseln visar. De föräktenskapliga förbindelserna synes dock inte ha varit någon ka¬tastrof så till vida kvinnan och mannen gifte sig. Analysen visar att olikheterna i sexu¬ell aktivitet och sedlighet mellan de båda områdena har sina förklaringar i sociala och ekonomiska aspekter, och kan även ses som kulturellt och etniskt betingade.

En titt på arbetar- och kvinnorörelsekamp åren 1900-1910 i spåren på Helene Ugland

Helene Ugland, f. 11 feb.1877 i Norge. lärarinneexamen 1895 vid Strömsbo Laerarinde-skole, vilket betydde möte med socialistiska och kvinnopolitiska idéer och som blev avgörande för hennes fortsatta verksamhet. Det var också då som rätten till fria tankar började vibrera i hennes sinne. År 1895, arton år gammal, samma år som hon tar examen vid Kristiansand Seminarium, reser hon till Stockholm och håller föredrag om utilitarismen. Hon flyttade till Sverige år 1900 och bosatte sig så småningom i Göteborg. 1903 blev hon skriven i Masthuggets församling samtidigt som hon gifte sig med redaktören vid Ny Tid Anton Andersson och kom att kalla sig Ugland-AnderssonNär hennes man blev chefredaktör vid Östergötlands Folkblad flyttade de till Norrköping. Här fick också Helene arbete på tidningen och som den socialist hon var utnyttjade hon flitigt sitt utrymme i tidningen med att agitera. Dessutom reste hon mycket och höll föreläsningar inte minst om mänskliga rättigheter. Hon ansåg att kristendomen var humbug och tyckte att den hade för stor plats i skolan.Hon deltog i socialdemokratiska kvinnokonferenser där hon propagerade för fri kärlek, rätten till preventivmedel och annat som gynnade kvinnors kamp för jämställdhet. Dock blev hon missförstådd då hennes belackare skyllde henne för att förespråka lösaktigt leverne.Sina sista verksamma år tillbringade hon i Gnesta där hon blev kommunalpolitiker. Hon dog 1 aug.1940.

Att möta sorg i arbetet : En kvantitativ enkätundersökning över begravningsrådgivare anslutna till SBF (Sveriges Begravningsbyråers Förbund).

This quantitative survey aims to highlight the impact of the meeting with the grief for customer advisers and representatives of funeral homes connected to the SBF (Sveriges Begravningsbyråers förbund). It also aims to demonstrate any differences between the sexes on this subject. Issues include: How does the person experience expectations and requirements in relation to their professional role? Does the person experience a personal impact due to the encounter with grief and death in their profession, in what way and to what extent? What consequences does the expectations, reactions and the possible impact result in for that person? What conditions does the person have to help cope with the professional role? Is there a gender difference in this experience? The theory base, which consists of theories taken from The Managed Heart: The commercialization of Human Feeling by Arlie Hochschild (2003) and descriptions taken from Yrke: begravningsentreprenör. Om utanförskap, döda kroppar, riter och professionalisering by Anna Davidsson Bremborg (2002), has been fundamental in both the preparatory work and the analysis. The population consists of those with client contact at funeral homes connected to the SBF. The questionnaire was answered through an internet page and the contact with the particiants were made via e-mail. The questionnaire consisted of 44 claims which were answered by how well the respondents agreed with them. The responses were then coded and calculations were made of mean and significance of these figures. Comparisons were made on several levels between the different variables in order to find patterns and indications. The results showed trends that the respondents to some extent experienced high demands in their profession, stress connected with the customer interactions and that this to some extent resulted in negative consequences. The results suggests that respondents were expected to and strove to go the "extra mile" to please the customers. The results also showed trends that the respondents enjoyed their work, experienced relatively good conditions in their profession and that the benefits outweighed the sacrifices. The results also showed an interesting pattern of that women, more than men, experience pressures and stress due to the encouter with grief at work, and that the higher education the respondents had the greater the impact. This study resulted in some interesting indications that can be used in further research.

Faktorer som påverkar patientens delaktighet i omvårdnad – en litteraturstudie

Bakgrund: Patientens rätt att vara delaktig i planering och genomförande av sin vård betonas idag, men många patienter är mindre delaktiga än de önskar vara. Det finns många fördelar med att patienten är delaktig. Syfte: Att beskriva vilka faktorer som påverkar patientens delaktighet i omvårdnad från patientens och sjuksköterskans perspektiv inom somatisk slutenvård. Metod: Litteraturstudie baserad på 16 vetenskapliga artiklar, publicerade mellan åren 2006 och 2015. Sökning skedde i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL, samt i de funna artiklarnas referenslistor. Resultat: Fem kategorier med faktorer som påverkade patientens delaktighet i omvårdnad identifierades; kunskap, relationen mellan patienten och sjuksköterskan, sjuksköterskans förhållningssätt, patientens situation och egenskaper samt organisationen. Slutsats: Faktorerna inom de fem kategorierna utgör ett komplicerat samspel och varje patient är en unik person med egna önskemål och preferenser för delaktighet.

The human side of project management - an investigation of critical chain concepts in the Argentinean Project Environment

The global marketplace is rapidly intensifying. Longer product sales lives, greater profit margins or simply survival, is dependent on management¿s ability to create and lead change. Project Management has become an important competency, combined with other business practices to adapt to the trend of changing conditions. Critical Chain is a relatively new project methodology, elaborated by Eliyahu Goldratt in order to complete projects faster, make more efficient use of resources and securing the project deliverables. The methodology is based on the assumption that traditional project techniques such as CPM and PERT, do not recognize critical human behavior. The methodology claims that many project failures are a direct result of how safety is built into the task delivery times, and then wasted by human behavior such as Student Syndrome, Parkinson Law and Multitasking. However, there has been little or no previous research regarding this topic in the Argentine marketplace. This study intended to investigate to what extent the human behavior concepts of critical chain project management are present, by performing in-depth interviews with Argentine project stakeholders. It appears that the four human behavior concepts are present in Argentina and that the majority of Argentine companies are yet to apply project management techniques.

Dosimetry and cost of imaging osseointegrated implants with film-based and computed tomography

Thermoluminescent dosimeters were used to measure radiation doses at craniofacial sites in a tissue-equivalent phantom during film-based multidirectional tomography with the Tomax Ultrascan (Incubation Industries, Ivyland, Pa.) and during computed tomography with the Elscint Excel 2400 (Elscint Corp., Tel Aviv, Israel). Mean absorbed doses for presurgical mandibular and maxillary canine and molar implant assessments were converted to equivalent doses, which were then multipied by published weighting factors and summed to give effective doses. The computed tomgraphy device consistently delivered higher doses than the Tomax Ultrascan to all anatomic locations; the differences were most pronounced when only one or two implant sites were evaluated. The reasons for the dose disparities are considered both anatomically and procedurally. A survey of examination cost revealed film-based multidirectional tomography to be less expensive than computed tomography.

Pharmacokinetics of dexmedetomidine administered intravenously in isofluraneanesthetized cats

Objective-To determine the pharmacokinetics of dexmedetomidine administered as a short-duration IV infusion in isoflurane-anesthetized cats. Animals-6 healthy adult domestic female cats. Procedures-Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride was injected IV (10 μg/kg over 5 minutes [rate, 2 μg/kg/min]) in isoflurane-anesthetized cats. Blood samples were obtained immediately prior to and at 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, and 480 minutes following the start of the IV infusion. Collected blood samples were transferred to tubes containing EDTA, immediately placed on ice, and then centrifuged at 3,901 X g for 10 minutes at 4°C. The plasma was harvested and stored at -20°C until analyzed. Plasma dexmedetomidine concentrations were determined by means of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Dexmedetomidine plasma concentration-time data were fitted to compartmental models. Results-A 2-compartment model with input in and elimination from the central compartment best described the disposition of dexmedetomidine administered via short-duration IV infusion in isoflurane-anesthetized cats. Weighted mean ± SEM apparent volume of distribution of the central compartment and apparent volume of distribution at steady-state were 402 ± 47 mL/kg and 1,701 ± 200 mL/kg, respectively; clearance and terminal half-life (harmonic mean ± jackknife pseudo-SD) were 6.3 ± 2.8 mL/min/kg and 198 ± 75 minutes, respectively. The area under the plasma concentration curve and maximal plasma concentration were 1,061 ± 292 min·ng/mL and 17.6 ± 1.8 ng/mL, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Disposition of dexmedetomidine administered via short-duration IV infusion in isoflurane-anesthetized cats was characterized by a moderate clearance and a long terminal half-life.

The plant ionome revisited by the nutrient balance concept

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

An open source GPS multipath simulator in Matlab/Octave

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)