A review and psychometric evaluation of pregnancy-specific stress measures

Considerable evidence has accumulated on the association between pregnancy-specific stress and adverse birth outcomes with an increasing number of measures of pregnancy-specific stress being developed internationally. However, the introduction of these measures has not always been theoretically or psychometrically grounded, resulting in questions about the quality and direction of such research. This review summarizes evidence on the reliability and validity of pregnancy-specific stress measures identified between 1980 and October 2010. Fifteen pregnancy-specific stress measures were identified. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranged from 0.51–0.96 and predictive validity data on preterm birth were reported for five measures. Convergent validity data suggest that pregnancy-specific stress is related to, but distinct from, global stress. Findings from this review consolidate current knowledge on pregnancy-specific stress as a consistent predictor of premature birth. This review also advances awareness of the range of measures of pregnancy-specific stress and documents their strengths and limitations based on published reliability and validity data. Careful consideration needs to be given as to which measures to use in future research to maximize the development of stress theory in pregnancy and appropriate interventions for women who experience stress in pregnancy. An international, strategic collaboration is recommended to advance knowledge in this area of study.

Transient Heat Conduction of Variable Stiffness Composite Laminate

Recent research on Variable Stiffness (VS) laminates, which are constructed by steering the fiber orientation as a spatial function of location, have shown to improve laminate performance under mechanical loads. Two distinct cases of stiffness variation can be achieved either by variation of the fiber orientation in the direction of the global x-axis, or perpendicular to it. In the present paper, thermal analysis of a VS laminate is performed to study the effect of steering fibers on transient heat conduction under uniform heat flux using finite element method. The goal of the present paper is a parametric study of the effect of variable stiffness properties on transient response including time to reach steady state and temperature profile. Also, stress resultants and maximum stress location are investigated under different boundary conditions. A FEM algorithm is applied to exactly incorporate the boundary conditions for stress resultant analysis.

An Inconvenient Truth: Barriers to Truth Recovery in the Aftermath of Institutional Child Abuse in Ireland

Contemporary settled democracies, including the United States, England and Wales and Ireland, have witnessed a string of high profile cases of institutional child abuse in both church and state settings. Set against the broader literature on transitional justice, this analysis argues that there are significant barriers to truth recovery within the particular context of historical institutional abuse by the clergy in the Republic of Ireland. In the main, I argue that the frameworks of the inquiries and commissions into historical institutional child abuse are not conducive to truth recovery or the search for justice in dealing with the legacy of an abusive past. It is the church-state relationship which makes the Irish situation noteworthy and unique. The Catholic Church and child care institutions are especially self-protective, secretive and closed by nature and strongly discourage the drawing of attention to any deficiencies in organisational procedures. The nature of the public inquiry process also means that there is often a rather linear focus on accountability and apportioning blame. Collectively, such difficulties inhibit fuller systemic investigation of the veracity of what actually happened and, in turn, meaningful modification of child care policies. The article concludes by offering some thoughts on implications for transitional justice discourses more broadly as well as the residual issues for Ireland and other settled democracies in terms of moving on from the legacy of institutional child abuse.

The contribution of N₂O₃ to the cytotoxicity of the nitric oxide donor DETA/NO: an emerging role for S-nitrosylation

The relationship between the biological activity of NO and its chemistry is complex. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of oxygen tension on the cytotoxicity of the NO• donor DETA/NO and to determine the effects of oxygen tension on the key RNS (reactive nitrogen species) responsible for any subsequent toxicity. The findings presented in this study indicate that the DETA/NO-mediated cytotoxic effects were enhanced under hypoxic conditions. Further investigations revealed that neither ONOO⁻ (peroxynitrite) nor nitroxyl was generated. Fluorimetric analysis in the presence of scavengers suggest for the first time that another RNS, dinitrogen trioxide may be responsible for the cytotoxicity with DETA/NO. Results showed destabilization of HIF (hypoxia inducible factor)-1α and depletion of GSH levels following the treatment with DETA/NO under hypoxia, which renders cells more susceptible to DETA/NO cytotoxicity, and could account for another mechanism of DETA/NO cytotoxicity under hypoxia. In addition, there was significant accumulation of nuclear p53, which showed that p53 itself might be a target for S-nitrosylation following the treatment with DETA/NO. Both the intrinsic apoptotic pathway and the Fas extrinsic apoptotic pathway were also activated. Finally, GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) is another important S-nitrosylated protein that may possibly play a key role in DETA/NO-mediated apoptosis and cytotoxicity. Therefore this study elucidates further mechanisms of DETA/NO mediated cytotoxicity with respect to S-nitrosylation that is emerging as a key player in the signalling and detection of DETA/NO-modified proteins in the tumour microenvironment.

Physiological correlates of memory recall in infancy:vagal tone, cortisol, and imitation in preterm and full-term infants at 6 months

We examined the role of physiological regulation (heart rate, vagal tone, and salivary cortisol) in short-term memory in preterm and full-term 6-month-old infants. Using a deferred imitation task to evaluate social learning and memory recall, an experimenter modeled three novel behaviors (removing, shaking, and replacing a glove) on a puppet. Infants were tested immediately after being shown the behaviors as well as following a 10-min delay. We found that greater suppression of vagal tone was related to better memory recall in full-term infants tested immediately after the demonstration as well as in preterm infants tested later after a 10-min delay. We also found that preterm infants showed greater coordination of physiology (i.e., tighter coupling of vagal tone, heart rate, and cortisol) at rest and during retrieval than full-term infants. These findings provide new evidence of the important links between changes in autonomic activity and memory recall in infancy. They also raise the intriguing possibility that social learning, imitation behavior, and the formation of new memories are modulated by autonomic activity that is coordinated differently in preterm and full-term infants.

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and CD14 are increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of smokers

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and CD14 contribute to the recognition of pathogens by cells, which triggers the activation of defence responses. Smoking is a risk factor for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory infections. The current authors theorised that levels of LBP and CD14 in the lungs of smokers would be higher than those in the lungs of never-smokers. These elevated levels could affect host responses upon infection. LBP, soluble CD14 (sCD14) and interleukin (IL)-8 were detected by ELISA. Nuclear factor (NF)- ?B, p38 and the inhibitor I?Ba were studied by immunoassays. Gene expression was assessed by RT-PCR. Bronchoalveolar lavage levels of LBP and CD14 were significantly higher in smokers and COPD patients than in never-smokers, whereas levels of both proteins were not significantly different between smokers and COPD patients. IL-6, IL-1ß5 and cigarette smoke condensate induced the expression of LBP and CD14 by airway epithelial cells. LBP and sCD14 inhibited the nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi)-dependent secretion of IL-8 and the activation of NF-?B and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathways but they increased the internalisation of NTHi by airway epithelial cells. Thus, in the inflamed airways of smokers both proteins could contribute to inhibit bacteria-dependent cellular activation without compromising the internalisation of pathogens by airway cells. Copyright©ERS Journals Ltd 2009.

Anthelmintic resistance in Northern Ireland (II): Variations in nematode control practices between lowland and upland sheep flocks

A questionnaire to obtain information on nematode control practices and sheep management was sent to over 1000 farmers in Northern Ireland. Replies were received from 305 flock owners, and data from 252 of them were analysed. Farms were divided into lowland and upland areas. Sizes of pasture and stocking rates on lowland and upland farms were 59.5 hectares, 6.99 sheep/hectare and 62.9 hectares and 10.01 sheep/hectare, respectively. Mean drenching rates for lambs and adults were 2.33 and 2.44, respectively, in lowland flocks and 2.73 and 2.71, respectively, in upland flocks. Between 2008 and 2011, the most frequently identified compounds in use were benzimidazoles and moxidectin in lowland flocks, and benzimidazoles and avermectins in upland flocks. Over the same period the most frequently identified commercial formulations were Tramazole (R), Panacur (R) and Allverm (R) (white drench), Levacide (R) (yellow drench), Oramec (R) (clear drench; avermectin), Cydectin (R) (clear drench; moxidectin) and Monepantel (R) (orange drench).

Most respondents (56.35%) treated their lambs at weaning and the most common time to treat ewes was identified to be pre-mating (67.86% of respondents).

The results of the questionnaire survey revealed that lowland annual drench frequency was 233 and 2.44 in lambs and ewes, respectively, although drench frequencies were higher in upland flocks: 2.73 and 2.71 for lambs and ewes, respectively.

Annual drench rotation was practiced by 43.96% of flock owners, but whether this was true rotation or pseudo-rotation (i.e., substitution of one anthelmintic product by another product belonging to the same chemical group of anthelmintics) could not be explicitly determined. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tutoría entre iguales recíproca y virtual para la mejora de habilidades lingüísticas en español e inglés

This paper reports data from an on-line peer tutoring project, the objective being the learning and improvement of the Spanish and English language. Pupils aged between 9 and 12 years old from Scotland and Catalonia were paired for the purpose of each pupil acting as a tutor of their own language within his or her pair. The aim was to improve the knowledge and use of their own language (by correcting their tutee) as well as the modern language (through the help of their tutor) acting as tutors and also as a tutees. The research combines a quasi-experimental design, using control groups, and in depth analysis of the process throughout the exchanges (texts and corrections) and interviews with the subjects. The results show that the degree of help offered by the tutors appears to be a very relevant factor when assessing the improvement detected in the linguistic abilities. © 2010 Fundación Infancia y Aprendizaje.

An anatomical and analytical study of the Modiolus: Enlightening its relevance to plastic surgery

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the structures, muscles, and fasciae of which the modiolus is composed. It can aid in the understanding and, therefore, the utilization of plastic surgery for the aesthetic or reconstructive treatment of that region, especially the angle of the mouth. Methods: Dissections of the midface were done on five different cadavers. They were of different races (3 males, 2 females). The anatomy of the modiolus was studied in detail. New anatomical observations were classified as type I through type VI. Results: The perifacial artery fascia contributed to the modiolus in four (80%) specimens and was not part of it in 1 (20%) specimen. The facial artery was anterior to it in one (20%) specimen, lateral in four (80%) specimens, and never medial to it. No significant relationship was observed between the perifacial artery fascia contribution to the modiolus and gender or race. Also, the location of the facial artery lateral or anterior to the modiolus was not significantly related to gender or race. In addition, the deep and superficial fasciae of the face converged not anterior to the masseter muscle but actually at the modiolus, which was different from observations made by others. Conclusion: The modiolus is of critical importance in aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery of the face. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC and International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.