From the Stars to the Headlines: The Propaganda of Yuri Gagarin

There were no haphazard decisions made by the Soviet Union when it came to choosing the first man to be sent to space. Months of training, careful planning, and well-hidden secrets eventually led to the decision of Yuri Gagarin. This led to the mass production of propaganda to spread, from Yuri Gagarin touring around the world to music being written about him, all centered around his trip to space and Soviet excellency. This propaganda still stands today in Russia, and its God-like idolization of cosmonauts is forever present

Genetic and environmental influences on Anxious/Depression during childhood: a study from the Netherlands Twin Register

For a large sample of twin pairs from the Netherlands Twins Register who were recruited at birth and followed through childhood, we obtained parental ratings of Anxious/Depression (A/D). Maternal ratings were obtained at ages 3 years (for 9025 twin pairs), 5 years (9222 pairs), 7 years (7331 pairs), 10 years (4430 pairs) and 12 years (2363 pairs). For 60-90% of the pairs, father ratings were also available. Multivariate genetic models were used to test for rater-independent and rater-specific assessments of A/D and to determine the genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in A/D at different ages. At all ages, monozygotic twins resembled each other more closely for A/D than dizygotic twins, implying genetic influences on variation in A/D. Opposite sex twin pairs resembled each other to same extent as same-sex dizygotic twins, suggesting that the same genes are expressed in boys and girls. Heritability estimates for rater-independent A/D were high in 3-year olds (76%) and decreased in size as children grew up [60% at age 5, 67% at age 7, 53% at age 10 (60% in boys) and 48% at age 12 years]. The decrease in genetic influences was accompanied by an increase in the influence of the shared family environment [absent at ages 3 and 7, 16% at age 5, 20% at age 10 (5% in boys) and 18% at age 12 years]. The agreement between parental A/D ratings was between 0.5 and 0.7, with somewhat higher correlations for the youngest group. Disagreement in ratings between the parents was not merely the result of unreliability or rater bias. Both the parents provided unique information from their own perspective on the behavior of their children. Significant influences of genetic and shared environmental factors were found for the unique parental views. At all ages, the contribution of shared environmental factors to variation in rater-specific views was higher for father ratings. Also, at all ages except age 12, the heritability estimates for the rater-specific phenotype were higher for mother ratings (59% at age 3 and decreasing to 27% at age 12 years) than for father ratings (between 14 and 29%). Differences between children, even as young as 3 years, in A/D are to a large extent due to genetic differences. As children grow up, the variation in A/D is due in equal parts to genetic and environmental influences. Anxious/Depression, unlike many other common childhood psychopathologies, is influenced by the shared family environment. These findings may provide support for why certain family therapeutic approaches are effective in the A/D spectrum of illnesses. Copyright © Blackwell Munksgaard 2005

Disclosure of Maternal HIV Status to Children: To Tell or Not To Tell . . . That Is the Question

HIV-infected mothers face the challenging decision of whether to disclose their serostatus to their children. From the perspective of both mother and child, we explored the process of disclosure, providing descriptive information and examining the relationships among disclosure, demographic variables, and child adjustment. Participants were 23 mothers and one of their noninfected children (9 to 16 years of age). Sixty-one percent of mothers disclosed. Consistent with previous research, disclosure was not related to child functioning. However, children sworn to secrecy demonstrated lower social competence and more externalizing problems. Differential disclosure, which occurred in one-third of the families, was associated with higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Finally, knowing more than mothers had themselves disclosed was related to child maladjustment across multiple domains. Clinical implications and the need for future research are considered

Improving estimation of the prognosis of childhood psychopathology; combination of DSM-III-R/DISC diagnoses and CBCL scores [IF: 2.7]

Objective: To compare the predictive validity of the clinical-diagnostic and the empirical-quantitative approach to assessment of childhood psychopathology, and to investigate the usefulness of combining both approaches. Method: A referred sample (N=96), aged 6 to 12 years at initial assessment, was followed up across - on average - a period of 3.2 years. It was assessed to what extent DISC/DSM-III-R diagnoses - representing the clinical-diagnostic approach, and CBCL scores - representing the empirical-quantitative approach, predicted the following signs of poor outcome: outpatient/inpatient treatment, or parents' wish for professional help for the child at follow-up, disciplinary problems in school, and police/judicial contacts. Results: Both diagnostic systems added significantly to the prediction of poor outcome, and neither of the two systems was superior. Use of both systems simultaneously provided the most accurate estimation of the prognosis, reflected by the occurrence of future poor outcome. Even diagnostic concepts that are generally regarded as relatively similar, such as ADHD (DSM) and attention problems (CBCL), or conduct disorder (DSM) and delinquent behavior (CBCL), appeared to differ in their ability to predict poor outcome. Conclusions: The present study supports the use of the empirical-quantitative approach and the clinical-diagnostic approach simultaneously, both in research and in clinical settings, to obtain a comprehensive view of the prognosis of psychopathology in children. © Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2004

Heritability of attention problems in children II: longitudinal results from a study of twins age 3 to 12.

this paper we present data of large samples of twin families, with an equal number of girls and boys. The well-known gender difference with boys displaying more OA and AP was observed at each age. Even at the age of 3, boys display more OA problems than girls. Clinical studies have indicated that severe problem behavior can be identified in very young children (see for review, Campbell, 1995; Keenan & Wakschlag, 2000; Shaw, Owens, Giovannelli, & Winslow, 2001) and that the onset of ADHD is during the pre-school period (Barkley, Fisher, Edelbrock, & Smallish, 1990; Table 6 Top part includes percentages of total variances (diagonal) and covariances (off-diagonal) explained by additive genetic, genetic dominance, and unique environmental components based on best fitting models. Percentages for boys and girls are reported below and above diagonal, respectively. Lower part includes correlations calculated for additive genetic, genetic dominance, and unique environmental sources of variance between different ages. Correlations for boys and girls are reported below and above diagonal, respectively Relative proportions of variance and covariance BoysnGirls A% D% E% OA 3 AP 7 AP 10 AP 12 OA 3 AP 7 AP 10 AP 12 OA 3 AP 7 AP 10 AP 12 OA 3 50n41 73 79 75 22n33 17 13 14 28n26 10 8 11 AP 7 59 33n57 50 53 31 39n16 31 28 10 28n27 19 19 AP 10 86 31 41n48 47 6 51 31n25 32 8 18 28n27 21 AP 12 71 24 31 40n54 16 55 45 30n18 13 21 24 30n28 Correlations between different ages BoysnGirls ADE OA 3 AP 7 AP 10 AP 12 OA 3 AP 7 AP 10 AP 12 OA 3 AP 7 AP 10 AP 12 OA 3 1.00 .60 .66 .57 1.00 .30 .16 .20 1.00 .15 .12 .14 AP 7 .57 1.00 .62 .57 .41 1.00 .99 1.00 .15 1.00 .46 .41 AP 10 .68 .56 1.00 .61 .08 .94 1.00 1.00 .11 .42 1.00 .50 AP 12 .49 .42 .53 1.00 .20 .98 .99 1.00 .14 .45 .58 1.00 ..

Sitting Postural Control Affects the Development of Focused Attention in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Purpose: To investigate whether focused attention (FA) changes over time as sitting postural control improves and whether an impairment in sitting postural control affects the development of FA in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Nineteen children with CP, mean ages 21.47 months, were assessed for FA and sitting scores pre- and postintervention. Results: Longest, total, and global FA increased and frequency of FA decreased in children who achieved independent sitting. However, children who achieved mobility postintervention exhibited a decrease in longest FA and an increase in frequency of FA. Conclusion: Sitting postural control and the development of FA appear associated in children with CP. The increase in FA may signal a key opportunity for learning and attending to objects. However, the time of early mobility may interrupt these long periods of attention, resulting in less sustained attention to objects

Responsible Pain Management for Postpartum Patients

At Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s postpartum unit on 4 East, uncontrolled pain is a leading cause of decreased patient satisfaction and increased risk for complications. Effective, timely, and conscientious pain management plays a crucial role in improving patient satisfaction and promoting safer recoveries. Given the wide range of pain management needs due to varied birth experiences and complications, nursing judgment and clear patient communication are essential in ensuring both comfort and long-term safety. This makes 4 East an ideal unit to explore standardizing communication strategies to optimize patient care. The primary goal of our intervention is to enhance patient satisfaction while reducing opioid use through a stepwise approach to pain management. Clear pain management protocols improve nursing care, but current protocols lack guidance on presenting pain options and consistently implementing strategies. By standardizing education on pain management for postpartum nurses on this unit, they will be able to provide consistent, effective, and patient-centered care, leading to better outcomes for mothers and newborns

Personality characteristics of selected community college dropouts

The Purpose of the Study The central purpose of this study was to determine if certain personality characteristics differ between community college persisters and those who drop out of school. The following 12 a priori hypotheses involving six Adjective Check List personality scales were tested: 1. Male persisters would have a significant higher mean average than male non-persisters on the Deference (Def) Scale. 2. Female persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than female non-persisters on the Deference (Def) Scale. 3. Male persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than male non-persisters on the Succorance (SUC) scale. 4. Female persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than female non-persisters on the Succorance (SUC) scale. 5. Male persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than male non-persisters on the Order (Ord) Scale. 6. Female persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than female non-persisters on the Order (Ord) Scale. 7. Male non-persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than male persisters on the Autonomy (Aut) Scale. 8. Female non-persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than female persisters on the Autonomy (Aut) Scale. 9. Male non-persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than male persisters on the Exhibition (Exb) Scale. 10. Female non-persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than female persisters on the Exhibition (Exb) Scale. 11. Male non-persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than male persisters on the Change (Cha) Scale. 12. Female non-persisters would have a significantly higher mean average than female persisters on the Change (Cha) Scale. Procedures The project was conducted at Mt. Hood Community College, in Gresham, Oregon. One hundred and seventy-three students participated; 49 women persisters and 24 women dropouts, and 63 men persisters and 37 men who dropped out the first four weeks of spring term, 1974. The data were statistically analyzed using the F-test statistic for main effects and a t-value statistic for the subanalysis of data. Selected Findings Each of the 12 a priori hypotheses was rejected as no significant differences occurred between persisters on the following Adjective Check List scales: Order, Exhibition, Autonomy, Change, Succorance, or Deference. However, significant differences did exist on six scales when the enrollment category effect was tested. The male persisters scored significantly higher on the Defensiveness, Personal Adjustment, Intraception, Affiliation, and Number of Favorable Adjectives checked scales. And male and female persisters scored significantly higher than non-persisters on the Total Number of Adjectives Checked scale. Selected Conclusions Although all a priori hypotheses were rejected, there were a number of related findings. For instance, there were more differences between male persisters and non-persisters than female persisters when compared to female non-persisters. Differences between the categories of men occurred six times, while occurring only once among women. Generally speaking, the male dropouts appear to have a less positive self-image than male persisters. However, because personality differences vary so much among dropouts, and between persisters and dropouts, it was concluded that personality tests should not be used to attempt to predict those prone to dropping out, or to generalize that all dropouts exhibit certain unique personality traits or characteristics when compared to persisters. Selected Recommendations Based on the findings and conclusions of this project, it is recommended that additional studies be conducted to examine the conclusions listed above and the implications listed in Chapter V. In addition, it is felt that all Oregon Community Colleges should cooperatively study the dropout problem, and that the exit interview should receive more emphasis at all community colleges

Recognition and binding of mismatch repair proteins at an oncogenic hot spot

BACKGROUND: The current investigation was undertaken to determine key steps differentiating G:T and G:A repair at the H-ras oncogenic hot spot within the nuclear environment because of the large difference in repair efficiency of these two mismatches. RESULTS: Electrophoretic mobility shift (gel shift) experiments demonstrate that DNA containing mismatched bases are recognized and bound equally efficiently by hMutSα in both MMR proficient and MMR deficient (hMLH1-/-) nuclear extracts. Competition experiments demonstrate that while hMutSα predictably binds the G:T mismatch to a much greater extent than G:A, hMutSα demonstrates a surprisingly equal ratio of competitive inhibition for both G:T and G:A mismatch binding reactions at the H-ras hot spot of mutation. Further, mismatch repair assays reveal almost 2-fold higher efficiency of overall G:A repair (5'-nick directed correct MMR to G:C and incorrect repair to T:A), as compared to G:T overall repair. Conversely, correct MMR of G:T → G:C is significantly higher (96%) than that of G:A → G:C (60%). CONCLUSION: Combined, these results suggest that initiation of correct MMR requires the contribution of two separate steps; initial recognition by hMutSα followed by subsequent binding. The 'avidity' of the binding step determines the extent of MMR pathway activation, or the activation of a different cellular pathway. Thus, initial recognition by hMutSα in combination with subsequent decreased binding to the G:A mismatch (as compared to G:T) may contribute to the observed increased frequency of incorrect repair of G:A, resulting in the predominant GGC → GTC (Gly → Val) ras-activating mutation found in a high percentage of human tumors