Developmental brain trajectories in children with ADHD and controls: a longitudinal neuroimaging study

BACKGROUND: The symptom profile and neuropsychological functioning of individuals with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), change as they enter adolescence. It is unclear whether variation in brain structure and function parallels these changes, and also whether deviations from typical brain development trajectories are associated with differential outcomes. This paper describes the Neuroimaging of the Children's Attention Project (NICAP), a comprehensive longitudinal multimodal neuroimaging study. Primary aims are to determine how brain structure and function change with age in ADHD, and whether different trajectories of brain development are associated with variations in outcomes including diagnostic persistence, and academic, cognitive, social and mental health outcomes.

METHODS/DESIGN: NICAP is a multimodal neuroimaging study in a community-based cohort of children with and without ADHD. Approximately 100 children with ADHD and 100 typically developing controls will be scanned at a mean age of 10 years (range; 9-11years) and will be re-scanned at two 18-month intervals (ages 11.5 and 13 years respectively). Assessments include a structured diagnostic interview, parent and teacher questionnaires, direct child cognitive/executive functioning assessment and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI acquisition techniques, collected at a single site, have been selected to provide optimized information concerning structural and functional brain development.

DISCUSSION: This study will allow us to address the primary aims by describing the neurobiological development of ADHD and elucidating brain features associated with differential clinical/behavioral outcomes. NICAP data will also be explored to assess the impact of sex, ADHD presentation, ADHD severity, comorbidities and medication use on brain development trajectories. Establishing which brain regions are associated with differential clinical outcomes, may allow us to improve predictions about the course of ADHD.

Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo

Inadequate quantity and quality of livestock feed is a persistent constraint to productivity for mixed crop-livestock farming in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. To assess on-farm niches of improved forages, demonstration trials and participatory on-farm research were conducted in four different sites. Forage legumes included Canavalia brasiliensis (CIAT 17009), Stylosanthes guianensis (CIAT 11995) and Desmodium uncinatum (cv. Silverleaf), while grasses were Guatemala grass (Tripsacum andersonii), Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) French Cameroon, and a local Napier line. Within the first six months, forage legumes adapted differently to the four sites with little differences among varieties, while forage grasses displayed higher variability in biomass production among varieties than among sites. Farmers’ ranking largely corresponded to herbage yield from the first cut, preferring Canavalia, Silverleaf desmodium and Napier French Cameroon. Choice of forages and integration into farming systems depended on land availability, soil erosion prevalence and livestock husbandry system. In erosion prone sites, 55–60% of farmers planted grasses on field edges and 16–30% as hedgerows for erosion control. 43% of farmers grew forages as intercrop with food crops such as maize and cassava, pointing to land scarcity. Only in the site with lower land pressure, 71% of farmers grew legumes as pure stand. When land tenure was not secured and livestock freely roaming, 75% of farmers preferred to grow annual forage legumes instead of perennial grasses. Future research should develop robust decision support for spatial and temporal integration of forage technologies into diverse smallholder cropping systems and agro-ecologies.

Alternate furrow irrigation of four fresh-market tomato cultivars under semi-arid condition of Ethiopia – Part I: Effect on fruit yield and quality

Scarcity of freshwater due to recurrent drought threatens the sustainable crop production in semi-arid regions of Ethiopia. Deficit irrigation is thought to be one of the promising strategies to increase water use efficiency (WUE) under scarce water resources. A study was carried out to investigate the effect of alternate furrow irrigation (AFI), deficit irrigation (DI) and full irrigation (FI) on marketable fruit yield, WUE and physio-chemical quality of four fresh-market tomato cultivars (Fetan, Chali, Cochoro and ARP Tomato d2) in 2013 and 2014. The results showed that marketable yield, numbers of fruits per plant and fruit size were not significantly affected by AFI and DI irrigations. WUE under AFI and DI increased by 36.7% and 26.1%, respectively with close to 30% irrigation water savings achieved. A different response of cultivars to irrigation treatments was found for marketable yield, number of fruits and fruit size, WUE, total soluble solids (TSS) of the fruit juice, titratable acids (TA) and skin thickness. Cochoro and Fetan performed well under both deficit irrigation treatments exhibited by bigger fruit size which led to higher WUE. ARP Tomato d2 showed good yields under well-watered conditions. Chali had consistently lower marketable fruit yield and WUE. TSS and TA tended to increase under deficit irrigation; however, the overall variations were more explained by irrigation treatments than by cultivars. It was shown that AFI is a suitable deficit irrigation practice to increase fresh yield, WUE and quality of tomato in areas with low water availability. However, AFI requires suitable cultivars in order to exploit its water saving potential.

Vulnerable Rural Counties: The Changing Rural Landscape, 2000–2010

Understanding the demography of rural America is vital to understanding what programs, interventions and policy initiatives are needed to improve health care access, delivery and outcomes. Overall findings suggest that rural America experienced the recession that ended the 2000–2010 decade more severely than did urban America. Loss of income, declining population and reduced health care resources marked the period for most rural counties. Rural counties will need continued monitoring in the present decade to ascertain whether these adverse trends continue and to identify any policy approaches that can serve to ameliorate losses in health care services.

Propuesta de creación de la Reserva Natural Municipal El Chuval en el Municipio de El Retén, Magdalena, Colombia

Colombia se ha comprometido a nivel internacional a realizar acciones que conduzcan al país hacia el desarrollo sostenible, específicamente a proteger los recursos naturales. En línea con esta apuesta, la presente investigación propone la construcción de la Reserva Natural El Chuval, en el municipio El Retén, Magdalena. Para la construcción de dicha Reserva se realiza un diagnóstico que indica las principales características del Chuval, se identifican posibles riesgos para la conservación de sus valores ambientales, y se complementa el análisis con una propuesta de manejo que se enmarca en la metodología de Agendas Ambientales Locales desarrollada por la ONU. Pese a que el municipio es consciente de la relevancia ambiental del Chuval, aún no se han tomado decisiones definitivas para proteger esta zona, razón por la cual, la presente investigación busca llenar un vacío en el ordenamiento territorial del municipio, que fortalezca la protección de la Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta.

How can the land managers and his multi-stakeholder network at the farm level influence the multifunctional transitions pathways?

The changing role of agriculture is at the core of transition pathways in many rural areas. Productivism, post-productivism and multifunctionality have been targeted towards a possible conceptualization of the transition happening in rural areas. The factors of change, including productivist and post-productivist trends, are combined in various ways and have gone in quite diverse directions and intensities, in individual regions and localities. Even, in the same holding, productivist and post-productivist strategies can co-exist spatially, temporally, structurally, leading to a higher complexity in changing patterns. In south Portugal extensive landscapes, dominated by traditionally managed agro-forestry systems under a fuzzy land use pattern, multifunctionality at the farm level is indeed conducted by different stakeholders whose interests may or not converge: a multifunctional land management may indeed incorporate post-productivist and productivist agents. These stakeholders act under different levels of ownership, management and use, reflecting a particular land management dynamic, in which different interests may exist, from commercial production to a variety of other functions (hunting, bee-keeping, subsistence farming, etc.), influencing management at the farm level and its supposed transition trajectory. This multistakeholder dynamic is composed by the main land-manager (the one who takes the main decisions), sub land-managers (land-managers under the rules of the main land-manager), workers and users (locals or outsiders), whose interest and action within the holding may vary differently according to future (policy, market, etc.) trends, and therefore reflect more or less resilient systems. The goal of the proposed presentation is to describe the multi-stakeholder relations at the farm level, its spatial expression and the factors influencing the land management system resilience in face of the transition trends in place.

DISEÑO DE UN GEOPORTAL PARA ANALIZAR LAS INICIATIVAS DE DESARROLLO RURAL LEADER EN EXTREMADURA

En Europa se están gestionando Políticas de Desarrollo Rural desde el año 1991 bajo el amparo de la Iniciativa LEADER. En este proyecto se ha diseñado un Geoportal para visualizar las Iniciativas LEADER de Desarrollo Rural en Extremadura. Para su elaboración se utilizó MapServer que facilita la introducción de las variables físicas, demográficas, económicas, equipamientos y las inversiones por medidas en una base de datos  cartográfica y alfanumérica a escala municipal. El diseño de dicho Geoportal permite, por una parte, analizar el impacto de este tipo de políticas en los últimos dieciséis años, así como establecer su contribución a la mejora de las condiciones de vida de la población rural, sin duda, objetivo principal de estas iniciativas. Y, por otra parte, facilita la consulta pública de los datos sin coste alguno para el usuario, al estar disponible en software SIG Libre.Palabras clave: Europa, LEADER Iniciativa, SIG, software libre, MapServer.ABSTRACTIn Europe, Rural Development Policy since 1991 has been managed under the auspices of the LEADER Initiative. In this project a Geoportal has been designed to visualize rural development under the LEADER Initiatives. MapServer has been used for elaboration and the physical, demographic, economic, equipment and investment measures have been introduced in an alphanumeric and cartographic database to municipal scale. The design of the Geoportal allows the impact of the policies over the last 16 years to be analyzed, as well as to determine their impact on improving the living conditions of the rural population, without a doubt the main objective of these initiatives. Moreover, it allows inspection of the data at no cost to the user via free Open Source GIS software.Key Words: Europe, LEADER Initiative, GIS, Open Source, MapServer.

ECOTOURISME ET DÉVELOPPEMENT LOCAL. UN FOCUS SUR LA VILLE DE GUARAQUEÇABA, PARANÁ, BRÉSIL

La localité de Guaraqueçaba est situé sur la côte nord de l'état du Paraná, Brésil. Son territoire est couvert par le forêt atlantique, et la région est une APA (Environmental Protection Área) creé en 1985.  En 1999 Guaraqueçaba a été déclaré Patrimoine Naturel Mondial (Biosphère Reserv) par l'UNESCO. Malgré le potentiel touristique de la région, il ya une  baisse de l'approvisionnement des équipements et services. Il ya aussi le manque de conditions et organisation des lês autochtones pour l'exploitation du potentiel touristique de la région, afin d'en faire une alternative efficace pour générer des revenus et des emplois pour eux-mêmes. Pour atteindre le objective de l’étude a été élaboré un diagnostic de la région, par les données bibliographiques. L'ajout à cette activité a été réalisée sur le terrain visites pour identifier la réalité étudiée, la couverture photographique, l'observation participante, et  collecte des données qualitatives em la communauté locale via la application du Méthode DAFO ou l'analyse SWOT.

Transaction costs in an association of organic farmers in Goiania, Brazil.

This study aimed to analyse the transaction costs of an association of organic farmers located in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. We analysed the marketing and organisation relations based on data collected at the Association for the Development of Organic Farming in Goias state (ADAO/GO).

Four years after graduation : occupational therapists' work destinations and perceptions of preparedness for practice

Objective: The present study sought to identify the work destinations of graduates and ascertain their perceived preparedness for practice from a regional occupational therapy program, which had been specifically developed to support the health requirements of northern Australians by having an emphasis on rural practice. ---------- Design: Self-report questionnaires and semistructured in-depth telephone interviews. ---------- Participants: Graduates (n = 15) from the first cohort of occupational therapists from James Cook University, Queensland. ---------- Main outcome measure: The study enabled comparisons to be made between rural and urban based occupational therapists, while the semistructured interviews provided a deeper understanding of participants' experiences regarding their preparation for practice. ---------- Results: Demographic differences were noted between occupational therapists working in rural and urban settings. Rural therapists were predominantly younger and had worked in slightly more positions than their urban counterparts. The study also offered some insights into the value that therapists placed on the subjects taught during their undergraduate occupational therapy training, and had highlighted the differences in perceptions between therapists with rural experience and those with urban experience regarding the subjects that best prepared them for practice. Generally, rural therapists reported that all subjects included in the curriculum had equipped them well for practice. ---------- Conclusions: Findings suggest the need to undertake further research to determine the actual nature of rural practice, the personal characteristics of rural graduates and the experiences of students while on rural clinical placements.

Principal preparation and training : a look at China and its issues

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of principal preparation and training in China by providing a background discussion of principal preparation in a number of countries. As an illustration, it provides an overview of the curriculum used in the initial preparation of school principals at Beijing Normal University.-----Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws mainly on writing and research from China, Australia and the USA to explore principal preparation and training in China.-----Findings: In addition to providing a rich description of principal preparation in China, the paper's main findings comprise seven key challenges that confront China as it endeavours to provide quality principal preparation. These challenges include China's diversity and uneven social, cultural and educational development; limited resources in some regions throughout China; the place and importance of study tours for principal preparation; the teaching approach used to train principals; the process used for assessing principal learning during their training programs; the limited transfer of learning from the classroom to the school environment; and the timing of training for principals.-----Practical implications: Each of the challenges arising here raises important practical implications for developers of principal training programs.-----Originality/value: The paper paints a picture of principal preparation in China and raises a number of issues and challenges with which it continues to grapple. Of note is that China is not alone in facing some of these ongoing concerns.

The textures of globalization : biopolitics and the closure of xenotourism

In this paper, we explore the tensions around a recent controversial development in medical tourism: xenotourism in Mexico. We take this bioendeavor - now ceased - to be emblematic of the global character of contemporary biomedicine, providing insights into the production and operation of scientific knowledge. We explore this through what we call the “textures of globalization”: the anxiety regarding the extent to which Mexico was understood as an (in)appropriate venue for the generation of novel knowledge on xenotransplantation, and as a location for xenotourism. These tensions, which oscillated between calls for individual freedom (choice) and global regulation (standardization), ultimately led to the closure of xenotourism in Mexico.

The genetics of cutaneous melanoma

Although germline mutations in CDKN2A are present in approximately 25% of large multicase melanoma families, germline mutations are much rarer in the smaller melanoma families that make up most individuals reporting a family history of this disease. In addition, only three families worldwide have been reported with germline mutations in a gene other than CDKN2A (i.e., CDK4). Accordingly, current genomewide scans underway at the National Human Genome Research Institute hope to reveal linkage to one or more chromosomal regions, and ultimately lead to the identification of novel genes involved in melanoma predisposition. Both CDKN2A and PTEN have been identified as genes involved in sporadic melanoma development; however, mutations are more common in cell lines than uncultured tumors. A combination of cytogenetic, molecular, and functional studies suggests that additional genes involved in melanoma development are located to chromosomal regions 1p, 6q, 7p, 11q, and possibly also 9p and 10q. With the near completion of the human genome sequencing effort, combined with the advent of high throughput mutation analyses and new techniques including cDNA and tissue microarrays, the identification and characterization of additional genes involved in melanoma pathogenesis seem likely in the near future.

Identifying parent perspectives to guide active travel intervention with small populations : case study in Denver, Colorado

This paper investigates a strategy for guiding school-based active travel intervention. School-based active travel programs address the travel behaviors and perceptions of small target populations (i.e., at individual schools) so they can encourage people to walk or bike. Thus, planners need to know as much as possible about the behaviors and perceptions of their target populations. However, existing strategies for modeling travel behavior and segmenting audiences typically work with larger populations and may not capture the attitudinal diversity of smaller groups. This case study used Q technique to identify salient travel-related attitude types among parents at an elementary school in Denver, Colorado; 161 parents presented their perspectives about school travel by rank-ordering 36 statements from strongly disagree to strongly agree in a normalized distribution, single centered around no opinion. Thirty-nine respondents' cases were selected for case-wise cluster analysis in SPSS according to criteria that made them most likely to walk: proximity to school, grade, and bus service. Analysis revealed five core perspectives that were then correlated with the larger respondent pool: optimistic walkers, fair-weather walkers, drivers of necessity, determined drivers, and fence sitters. Core perspectives are presented—characterized by parents' opinions, personal characteristics, and reported travel behaviors—and recommendations are made for possible intervention approaches. The study concludes that Q technique provides a fine-grained assessment of travel behavior for small populations, which would benefit small-scale behavioral interventions