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Developmental Research (developmental + research)
Selected AbstractsANOTHER LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCHFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 4 2001Access Decisions for Young Children", Commentary on Kelly, Lamb's "Using Child Development Research to Make Appropriate Custody Kelly and Lamb (2000) recently provided a summary of the attachment literature and a set of guidelines for visitation and custody for young children in divorced and separated families. Here, Solomon and Biringen review the same literature with an eye to critically evaluating these guidelines, especially the suggestion that more, rather than fewer, transitions between parents are appropriate for very young children. Three types of empirical findings raise questions regarding the appropriateness of Kelly and Lamb's guidelines. These include differences in the development of infant-mother and infant-father attachments, young children's sensitivity to overnight separations from the primary caregiver, and the possibility of infant preferences for primary versus secondary caregivers in times of stress. The authors argue that considerably more rigorous research is required before submitting Kelly and Lamb's suggestion to social policy. [source] Imaging the developing brain with fMRIDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 3 2003M.C. Davidson Abstract Advancements in magnetic imaging techniques have revolutionized our ability to study the developing human brain in vivo. The ability to noninvasively image both anatomy and function in healthy volunteers, including young children, has already enhanced our understanding of brain and behavior relations. The application of these techniques to developmental research offers the opportunity to further explore these relationships and allows us to ask questions about where, when and how cognitive abilities develop in relation to changes in underlying brain systems. It is also possible to explore the contributions of maturation versus learning in the development of these abilities through cross-sectional and longitudinal research involving training and intervention procedures. Current imaging methodologies, in conjunction with new and rapidly evolving techniques, hold the promise of even greater insights into developmental issues in the near future. These methodologies and their application to development and learning are discussed in the current paper. MRDD Research Reviews 2003;9:161,167. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Coaxial Aerodynamically Assisted Bio-jets: A Versatile Paradigm for Directly Engineering Living Primary OrganismsENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2007S. Irvine Abstract In this paper, a coaxial jetting methodology is demonstrated as a first example (non-electric field driven) completely run by aerodynamic forces which are brought about by the application of a differential pressure for the safe handling of primary living organisms by means of jets as encapsulated droplets. Previously this jetting technique in this configuration has only been investigated for processing combinations of liquid-liquid and liquid-gas systems. These developmental studies into aerodynamically assisted jets (AAJ) have unearthed a versatile bio-jetting approach referred to here as coaxial aerodynamically assisted bio-jetting (CAABJ). In the current work, this flexible approach is demonstrated to handle two primary cell types for drop-and-placing onto several different substrates. Furthermore, the study assesses cellular viability of the post-treated cells in comparison to controls by way of flow cytometry. These first steps demonstrate the promise this protocol has in exploring the creation of biologically viable structures to form encapsulations of cells which would be useful as a direct tissue engineering to the immuno-hinding methodology in bio-repair and therapeutics. Therefore, these investigations place CAABJ into the cell jetting pursuit together with bio-electrosprays, which will undergo an explosive developmental research. [source] Developing theory-based risk-reduction interventions for HIV-positive young people with haemophiliaHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 1 2001J. R. Schultz Eleven haemophilia treatment centres in the United States collaborated in the Hemophilia Behavioural Intervention Evaluation Projects (HBIEP) to develop theory-based interventions to reduce the risk of HIV transmission from seropositive adolescents and young adults with haemophilia. While the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change and the Theory of Reasoned Action provided the theoretical underpinnings, the exact form in which these theories would be applied depended on developmental research. This paper presents the various phases of the process to develop the theory based interventions: literature review, qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, a provider survey, a materials review, and the actual planning. All or portions of this process could be applied to the development of interventions for many behaviour-change projects. A description of the HBIEP interventions is also provided. [source] Hierarchy of interactive functions in father-mother-baby three-way gamesINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2004France Frascarolo Abstract In developmental research, the family has mainly been studied through dyadic interaction. Three-way interactions have received less attention, partly because of their complexity. This difficulty may be overcome by distinguishing between four hierarchically embedded functions in three-way interactions: (1) participation (inclusion of all participants), (2) organization (partners keeping to their roles), (3) focalization (sharing a common focus) and (4) affective contact (being in tune). We document this hierarchical model on a sample of 80 families observed in the Lausanne Trilogue Play situation across four different sites. Hierarchy between functions was demonstrated by means of Guttman scalability coefficient. Given the importance of the child's development in a threesome, the pertinence of this model for family assessment is discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Attention and Vigilance in Children with Down SyndromeJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 6 2008Kim L. Trezise Background, Down syndrome (DS) has been the focus of much cognitive and developmental research; however, there is a gap in knowledge regarding sustained attention, particularly across different sensory domains. This research examined the hypothesis that children with DS would demonstrate superior visual rather than auditory performance on a sustained attention task and that this modality difference would not be seen in children with non-specific intellectual disability (NSID). Materials and Methods, Eleven children with DS and 16 children with NSID were compared on two versions of the sustained attention to response test (SART), varying only in presentation modality (visual or auditory). Errors of commission (failure to withhold response to target) and errors of omission (failure to respond to non-target distractors) were recorded. Results, Significant group differences were found in the visual modality and mental age was also found to effect error rates in the visual condition. No effect of group or mental age was observed in the auditory SART. Conclusions, Results suggest that, for individuals with DS, presentation of education material in a visual medium may facilitate sustained attention and thus learning. Further research using tools such as the SART to explore modality differences in sustained attention and additional cognitive domains is recommended. [source] Developmental insights into experience-based decision makingJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 1 2010Tim Rakow Abstract In three experiments involving children and adults (N,=,324), option payoffs for sure versus risky choices were either described or experienced via observation of 20 outcomes. Choices revealed a description-experience gap for payoffs with rare events, implying greater impact of small probabilities (,.2) for described than for experienced choices. The size of this effect was independent of participant age. Therefore, the role of cognitive limitations in the description-experience distinction remains unclear, as the age groups would have differed in cognitive capacity. Age-related differences in ,sampling style' in decisions from experience were observed. Pre-choice data acquisition changed markedly with age: From frequent alternation between options towards separate systematic exploration of options with increasing age. A fourth experiment, that manipulated sampling style, failed to demonstrate its link to other age-related features of choice (e.g. risk preferences). Our studies illustrate the value of developmental research for testing theoretical claims and revealing novel phenomena in decision research. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Approaches to achieve high-level heterologous protein production in plantsPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007Stephen J. Streatfield Summary Plants offer an alternative to microbial fermentation and animal cell cultures for the production of recombinant proteins. For protein pharmaceuticals, plant systems are inherently safer than native and even recombinant animal sources. In addition, post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation, which cannot be achieved with bacterial fermentation, can be accomplished using plants. The main advantage foreseen for plant systems is reduced production costs. Plants should have a particular advantage for proteins produced in bulk, such as industrial enzymes, for which product pricing is low. In addition, edible plant tissues are well suited to the expression of vaccine antigens and pharmaceuticals for oral delivery. Three approaches have been followed to express recombinant proteins in plants: expression from the plant nuclear genome; expression from the plastid genome; and expression from plant tissues carrying recombinant plant viral sequences. The most important factor in moving plant-produced heterologous proteins from developmental research to commercial products is to ensure competitive production costs, and the best way to achieve this is to boost expression. Thus, considerable research effort has been made to increase the amount of recombinant protein produced in plants. This research includes molecular technologies to increase replication, to boost transcription, to direct transcription in tissues suited for protein accumulation, to stabilize transcripts, to optimize translation, to target proteins to subcellular locations optimal for their accumulation, and to engineer proteins to stabilize them. Other methods include plant breeding to increase transgene copy number and to utilize germplasm suited to protein accumulation. Large-scale commercialization of plant-produced recombinant proteins will require a combination of these technologies. [source] Value-chain innovation in aquaculture: insights from a New Zealand case studyR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006Jayaram K. Sankaran We report a case study of value-chain innovation in a niche, export-oriented aquaculture industry, namely, Chinook/King salmon, that contrasts with the much more common Atlantic/Norwegian salmon. The firm in question is vertically integrated, thus offering a ,cradle-to-grave' vista of innovation that spans ,production' (i.e. farming), processing, marketing, and distribution. A major finding is the need for a delicate balance between the relative expenditures on production research and developmental research in integrated aquaculture firms, especially those that focus on niche species. Interaction effects between the two research strands complicate the trade-off: production research adds value at the fish farm by lowering the unit cost of production , and in turn facilitates new product development as it is easier to add value to a lower-cost product than a higher-cost product. From the case study findings, we synthesize a process model of value-chain innovation that is applicable for integrated aquaculture firms. We also induce several implications for the management of Research & Development and innovation in such firms. [source] Infant Intersubjectivity: Research, Theory, and Clinical ApplicationsTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 1 2001Colwyn Trevarthen We review research evidence on the emergence and development of active " self-and-other " awareness in infancy, and examine the importance of its motives and emotions to mental health practice with children. This relates to how communication begins and develops in infancy, how it influences the individual subject's movement, perception, and learning, and how the infant's biologically grounded self-regulation of internal state and self-conscious purposefulness is sustained through active engagement with sympathetic others. Mutual selfother- consciousness is found to play the lead role in developing a child's cooperative intelligence for cultural learning and language. A variety of preconceptions have animated rival research traditions investigating infant communication and cognition. We distinguish the concept of " intersubjectivity ", and outline the history of its use in developmental research. The transforming body and brain of ahumanindividual grows in active engagement with an environment of human factors-organic at first, then psychological or inter-mental. Adaptive, human-responsive processes are generated first by interneuronal activity within the developing brain as formation of the human embryo is regulated in a support-system of maternal tissues. Neural structures are further elaborated with the benefit of intra-uterine stimuli in the foetus, then supported in the rapidly growing forebrain and cerebellum of the young child by experience of the intuitive responses of parents and other human companions. We focus particularly on intrinsic patterns and processes in pre-natal and post-natal brain maturation that anticipate psychosocial support in infancy. The operation of an intrinsic motive formation (IMF) that developed in the core of the brain before birth is evident in the tightly integrated intermodal sensory-motor coordination of a newborn infant's orienting to stimuli and preferential learning of human signals, by the temporal coherence and intrinsic rhythms of infant behaviour, especially in communication, and neonates' extraordinary capacities for reactive and evocative imitation. The correct functioning of this integrated neural motivating system is found to be essential to the development of both the infant's purposeful consciousness and his or her ability to cooperate with other persons' actions and interests, and to learn from them. The relevance of infants' inherent intersubjectivity to major child mental health issues is highlighted by examining selected areas of clinical concern. We review recent findings on postnatal depression, prematurity, autism, ADHD, specific language impairments, and central auditory processing deficits, and comment on the effcacy of interventions that aim to support intrinsic motives for intersubjective communication when these are not developing normally. [source] Mining plant diversity: Gerbera as a model system for plant developmental and biosynthetic researchBIOESSAYS, Issue 7 2006Teemu H. Teeri Gerbera hybrida is a member of the large sunflower family (Asteraceae). Typical of Asteraceae, Gerbera bears different types of flowers in its inflorescence. The showy marginal flowers comprise elongate, ligulate corollas that are female, whereas the central and inconspicuous disc flowers are complete, with both male and female organs. As such, Gerbera offers great potential for comparative developmental research within a single genotype. Moreover, different Gerbera varieties show an impressive spectrum of color patterns, directly displaying responses to developmental cues at all important morphological levels (flower type, flower organ and within organs). Further, Gerbera harbors an arsenal of Asteraceae-type secondary metabolites, not present in other model plants. With powerful reverse genetics methods, a large collection of EST sequences and a new cDNA microarray, Gerbera has become a model plant of the sunflower family. BioEssays 28: 756,767, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Children's Understanding of Social-Cognitive and Social-Communicative Aspects of Discourse IronyCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2010Eva Filippova To bridge the social-reasoning focus of developmental research on irony understanding and the pragmatic focus of research with adult populations, this cross-sectional study examines 5-, 7-, and 9-year-olds' (n = 72) developing understanding of both social-cognitive and social-communicative aspects of discourse irony, when compared with adults (n = 24). Although 5-year-olds lag behind the other age groups in their reasoning about the speaker's meaning, belief, intention, and motivation, adults are consistently superior to children of all ages on these social-cognitive measures. In contrast, limited age-related differences were found in participants' judgment of the social-communicative function of irony (how nice, mean, and funny irony is). The findings help to reconcile previous discrepant claims as to the age when children come to understand irony. [source] Factorial Invariance Within Longitudinal Structural Equation Models: Measuring the Same Construct Across TimeCHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2010Keith F. Widaman Abstract, Charting change in behavior as a function of age and investigating longitudinal relations among constructs are primary goals of developmental research. Traditionally, researchers rely on a single measure (e.g., scale score) for a given construct for each person at each occasion of measurement, assuming that measure reflects the same construct at each occasion. With multiple indicators of a latent construct at each time of measurement, the researcher can evaluate whether factorial invariance holds. If factorial invariance constraints are satisfied, latent variable scores at each time of measurement are on the same metric and stronger conclusions are warranted. This article discusses factorial invariance in longitudinal studies, contrasting analytic approaches and highlighting strengths of the multiple-indicator approach to modeling developmental processes. [source] The Homoscleromorph sponge Oscarellalobularis, a promising sponge model in evolutionary and developmental biologyBIOESSAYS, Issue 1 2009Model sponge Oscarella lobularis Abstract Sponges branch basally in the metazoan phylogenetic tree and are believed to be composed of four distinct lineages with still uncertain relationships. Indeed, some molecular studies propose that Homoscleromorpha may be a fourth Sponge lineage, distinct from Demospongiae in which they were traditionally classified. They harbour many features that distinguish them from other sponges and are more evocative of those of the eumetazoans. They are notably the only sponges to possess a basement membrane with collagen IV and specialized cell-junctions, thus possessing true epithelia. Among Homoscleromorphs, we have chosen Oscarella lobularis as a model species. This common and easily accessible sponge is characterized by relatively simple histology and cell composition, absence of skeleton, and strongly pronounced epithelial structure. In this review, we explore the specific features that make O. lobularis a promising homoscleromorph sponge model for evolutionary and developmental researches. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||