A Monte Carlo simulation of tracer diffusion in amorphous polymers.

Tracer diffusion in amorphous polymers is a sought-after quantity for a range of technological applications. In this regard, a quantitative description of the so-called decoupling from the reverse proportionality between viscosity and diffusion coefficient into a fractional one remains a challenge requiring a deeper insight. This work employs a Monte Carlo simulation framework in 3 dimensions to investigate the consequences of different scenarios for estimating this fractional exponent on the diffusion coefficient of tracers in polymers near glass transition. To this end, we adopted a continuous-time random walk model for tracer diffusion in the supercooled liquid state. The waiting time distribution of the diffusants was computed based on the rotational correlation times of the polymer. This proposed procedure is of particular interest because it brings the quantity of waiting time (and its statistics) in connection with the measurable observable of rotational times. In the framework of our simulations the aforementioned fractional exponent appears in the relation between the diffusant's waiting time and the rotational time of the diffusion medium. A limited comparison with experimental diffusivities from the literature revealed a reasonable agreement with a fractional exponent on the basis of the molar volumes of the diffusant and the monomeric unit. Finally, an analysis of time-averaged mean squared displacement pointed to normal Brownian dynamics for tracer diffusion in polymers above the glass transition temperature.

Curiosity for information predicts wellbeing mediated by loneliness during COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic confronted humans with high uncertainty and lockdowns, which severely disrupted people's daily social and health lifestyles, enhanced loneliness, and reduced well-being. Curiosity and information-seeking are central to behavior, fostering well-being and adaptation in changing environments. They may be particularly important to maintain well-being during the pandemic. Here, we investigated which motives drive information-seeking, and whether and how curiosity and information-seeking related to well-being and mood (excitement, anxiety). Additionally, we tested whether daily diet contributed to this relationship during lockdown. Participants (N = 183) completed questionnaires measuring curiosity, information-seeking, social and mental health. Using a smartphone app, participants submitted their daily food intake and lifestyle ratings for a week. We found participants had highest motivation to seek positive (vs. negative) information, concerning themselves more than others. Both trait curiosity and information-seeking predicted higher well-being, mediated by loneliness. Trait curiosity also predicted well-being and excitement days later. Considering diet, participants with lower trait curiosity ate food containing more tyrosine (i.e., dopamine precursor). Furthermore, participants consuming food high in sugar reported higher anxiety, which was specifically found in participants with relatively low, but not high, trait curiosity. Taken together, curiosity and information-seeking may benefit well-being and mood in high uncertain and challenging times, by interacting with lifestyle measures (loneliness and nutrition).

The relaxation behavior of supercooled and glassy imidacloprid.

Employing dielectric spectroscopy, oscillatory shear rheology, and calorimetry, the present work explores the molecular dynamics of the widely used insecticide imidacloprid above and below its glass transition temperature. In its supercooled liquid regime, the applied techniques yield good agreement regarding the characteristic structural (alpha) relaxation times of this material. In addition, the generalized Gemant-DiMarzio-Bishop model provides a good conversion between the frequency-dependent dielectric and shear mechanical responses in its viscous state, allowing for an assessment of imidacloprid's molecular hydrodynamic radius. In order to characterize the molecular dynamics in its glassy regime, we employ several approaches. These include the application of frequency-temperature superposition (FTS) to its isostructural dielectric and rheological responses as well as use of dielectric and calorimetric physical aging and the Adam-Gibbs-Vogel model. While the latter approach and dielectric FTS provide relaxation times that are close to each other, the other methods predict notably longer times that are closer to those reflecting a complete recovery of ergodicity. This seemingly conflicting dissimilarity demonstrates that the molecular dynamics of glassy imidacloprid strongly depends on its thermal history, with high relevance for the use of this insecticide as an active ingredient in technological applications.

Exogenous testosterone increases status-seeking motivation in men with unstable low social status.

Testosterone is associated with status-seeking behaviors such as competition, which may depend on whether one wins or loses status, but also on the stability of one's status. We examined (1) to what extent testosterone administration affects competition behavior in repeated social contests in men with high or low rank, and (2), whether this relationship is moderated by hierarchy stability, as predicted by the status instability hypothesis. Using a real effort-based design in healthy male participants (N = 173 males), we first found that testosterone (vs. placebo) increased motivation to compete for status, but only in individuals with an unstable low status. A second part of the experiment, tailored to directly compare stable with unstable hierarchies, indicated that exogenous testosterone again increased competitive motivation in individuals with a low unstable status, but decreased competition behavior in men with low stable status. Additionally, exogenous testosterone increased motivation in those with a stable high status. Further analysis suggested that these effects were moderated by individuals' trait dominance, and genetic differences assessed by the androgen receptor (CAG-repeat) and dopamine transporter (DAT1) polymorphisms. Our study provides evidence that testosterone specifically boosts status-related motivation when there is an opportunity to improve one's social status. The findings contribute to our understanding of testosterone's causal role in status-seeking motivation in competition behavior, and indicate that testosterone adaptively increases our drive for high status in a context-dependent manner. We discuss potential neurobiological pathways through which testosterone may attain these effects on behavior.

Positive Health beyond boundaries in community care: design of a prospective study on the effects and implementation of an integrated community approach.

BACKGROUND: High healthcare expenditures due to population ageing and chronic complex health complaints are a challenge on a global scale. To improve the quality of healthcare, population health, and professionals' work satisfaction and to reduce healthcare costs (Quadruple Aim), the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport designated nine pioneer site regions across the Netherlands. One of these pioneer sites is the integrated community approach (ICA) known as 'Blue Care'. This article describes the design of a prospective study investigating the effects of Blue Care ICA on Quadruple Aim outcomes and a process evaluation focussing on its implementation in deprived neighbourhoods. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods, is applied to yield an enriched understanding of the various processes that will take place in the neighbourhoods. A prospective, quasi-experimental study is conducted within a natural experiment. Blue Care ICA is being implemented between 2017 and 2020 and research activities are taking place parallel to the implementation process. Effects of Blue Care ICA are measured at T0 (baseline), T1 (after 1 year), T2 (after 2 years) and at T3 (after 3 years) using a questionnaire. The primary outcome measure is health-related quality of life (SF-12v2), secondary outcomes are health status (EQ-5D-5 L), resilience (RS-Scale), Positive Health (Spiderweb diagram) and quality of care (grade 0-10). As part of the process evaluation, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research guided the formulation of process evaluation questions. Participant observations, interviews and focus groups with all stakeholders active in the Blue Care ICA will be conducted during the whole implementation period (2017-2020). DISCUSSION: The evaluation takes into account the interconnections between content, application, context and outcomes to understand how the Blue Care ICA unfolds over time in a complex, dynamic setting. Results of the effect and process evaluation will become available in 2020. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NTR 6543 , registration date; 25 July 2017.

Competition, testosterone, and adult neurobehavioral plasticity.

Motivation in performance is often measured via competitions. Winning a competition has been found to increase the motivation to perform in subsequent competitions. One potential neurobiological mechanism that regulates the motivation to compete involves sex hormones, such as the steroids testosterone and estradiol. A wealth of studies in both nonhuman animals and humans have shown that a rise in testosterone levels before and after winning a competition enhances the motivation to compete. There is strong evidence for acute behavioral effects in response to steroid hormones. Intriguingly, a substantial testosterone surge following a win also appears to improve an individual's performance in later contests resulting in a higher probability of winning again. These effects may occur via androgen and estrogen pathways modulating dopaminergic regions, thereby behavior on longer timescales. Hormones thus not only regulate and control social behavior but are also key to adult neurobehavioral plasticity. Here, we present literature showing hormone-driven behavioral effects that persist for extended periods of time beyond acute effects of the hormone, highlighting a fundamental role of sex steroid hormones in adult neuroplasticity. We provide an overview of the relationship between testosterone, motivation measured from objective effort, and their influence in enhancing subsequent effort in competitions. Implications for an important role of testosterone in enabling neuroplasticity to improve performance will be discussed.

Factors influencing perceived sustainability of Dutch community health programs.

We assessed the perceived sustainability of community health programs organized by local intersectoral coalitions, as well as the factors that collaborating partners think might influence sustainability. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 31 collaborating partners of 5 community health programs in deprived neighborhoods in the southern part of the Netherlands. The interview guide was based on a conceptual framework that includes factors related to the context, the leading organization, leadership, the coalition, collaborating partners, interventions and outcomes. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and content analyzed using NVivo 8.0. Participants in each of the programs varied in their perceptions of the sustainability of the program, but those people collaborating in pre-existing neighborhood structures expressed relatively high faith in their continuation. The participating citizens in particular believed that these structures would continue to address the health of the community in the future. We found factors from all categories of the conceptual framework that were perceived to influence sustainability. The program leaders appeared to be crucial to the programs, as they were frequently mentioned in close interaction with other factors. Program leaders should use a motivating and supportive leadership style and should act as 'program champions'.

From protection of privacy to control of data streams: a focus group study on biobanks in the information society.

Most people in Europe do not know what biobanks are. In this study, public perceptions of biobanks and collection of genetic and health data were analyzed in relation to other technologies and digital networks where personal information is compiled and distributed. In this setting, people contextualized biobanks in line with their daily experiences with other technologies and data streams. The analysis was based on 18 focus group discussions conducted in Austria, Finland and Germany. We examined the ways in which people frame and talk about problems and benefits of information distribution in digital networks and biobanks. People identify many challenges associated with collection of personal data in the information society. The study showed that instead of privacy - which has been the key term of bioethical debates on biobanks - the notions of control and controllability are most essential for people. From the viewpoint of biobanks, issues of controllability pose challenges. In the information society, people have become accustomed to controlling personal data, which is particularly difficult in relation to biobanks. They expressed strong concerns over the controllability of the goals and benefits of biobanks.

Stress in parents of children with cerebral palsy: what sources of stress are we talking about?

BACKGROUND: Parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience high levels of stress. Little is known however on the different sources of stress parents experience. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relation between aspects of parental distress in the parenting role and the child's limitations in functional skills and the child's behavioural difficulties, in parents of children with CP. METHODS: A cross-sectional study among 42 parents of ambulatory children with CP (age 3-8 years; GMFCS levels I-III) was performed, using the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS). RESULTS: Regression analysis revealed that the PEDI Functional Skills and VABS Maladaptive behaviour scores explained 27% of the total variance in the PSI Parent domain total stress score. Maladaptive behaviour did significantly contribute to parental stress scores for the Parent domain subscales Attachment, Relationship with spouse, Depression, and, in particular, Sense of competence. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' functioning can be affected by behavioural aspects of the child with CP, and sense of competence could be an important variable in this relation. This emphasizes the importance of the development of specific interventions that support the family as a whole.

A family-specific use of the Measure of Processes of Care for Service Providers (MPOC-SP).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity and utility of the Dutch Measure of Processes of Care for Service Providers (MPOC-SP) as a family-specific measure. DESIGN: A validation study. SETTING: Five paediatric rehabilitation settings in the Netherlands. MAIN MEASURES: The MPOC-SP was utilized in a general (reflecting on services provided for all clients and clients' families) and family-specific way (filled out in reference to a particular child and his or her family). SUBJECTS: Professionals providing rehabilitation and educational services to children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: For construct validity, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients (r ) between the scales were calculated. The ability of service providers to discriminate between general and family-specific ratings was examined by exploration of absolute difference scores. RESULTS: One hundred and sixteen service professionals filled out 240 family-specific MPOC-SPs. In addition, a subgroup of 81 professionals filled out a general MPOC-SP. For each professional, family-specific and general scores were paired, resulting in 151 general-family-specific MPOC-SP pairs. The construct validity analyses confirmed the scale structure: 21 items (77.8%) loaded highest in the original MPOC-SP factors, and all items correlated best and significantly with their own scale score (r 0.565 to 0.897; P<0.001). Intercorrelations between the scales ranged from r = 0.159 to r = 0.522. In total, 94.4% of the mean absolute difference scores between general and family-specific scale scores were larger than the expected difference. CONCLUSION: Service providers were able to discriminate between general and family-specific MPOC-SP item ratings. The family-specific MPOC-SP is a valid measure that can be used for individual evaluation of family-centred services and can be the impetus for family-related quality improvement.

One-year stability of the Measure of Processes of Care.

BACKGROUND: The Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) is a 56-item self-administered measure designed to examine what parents of a child with a chronic health problem think of the services they and their child receive, and to measure the extent to which these services are family-centred. Reliability and validity of the MPOC were established in prior studies. The aim of the present study was to assess the 1-year stability of the MPOC to justify its use as an evaluative tool. METHODS: Nine paediatric rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands participated in this short longitudinal survey study. Subjects were 205 parents (response rate 74.8%) of children aged 1-18 years who received care in one of the participating paediatric rehabilitation centres. All subjects filled out two MPOCs with a 1-year interval. RESULTS: All correlations between the scale scores of the MPOC at the first and second administration were relatively high and significant (range: 0.443-0.609, all P < 0.001), demonstrating high inter-individual stability. However, all mean scale scores, except for Providing General Information, significantly reduced after 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The MPOC has a moderate 1-year stability. However, because of its tendency to score lower when repeated after 1 year, its use as an evaluative follow-up instrument to assess the effectiveness of a programme intervention is restricted.

Transparency and tuning of rehabilitation care for children with cerebral palsy: a multiple case study in five children with complex needs.

PURPOSE: Generally, there is a lack of knowledge whether and how parent-identified problems, treatment goals and treatment activities are tuned in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy. This study aimed to observe whether parent-identified problems and treatment goals were documented ('transparency' of the rehabilitation process), and to examine the relationship ('tuning') of parent-identified problems to treatment goals and to treatment activities of children with cerebral palsy in pediatric rehabilitation in the Netherlands. METHOD: Five school-aged subjects with cerebral palsy were observed in detail during physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and their written reports were studied. Parent-identified problems, treatment goals, and treatment activities were linked to the ICF components, domains and categories and the amount of agreement was determined by code comparison. RESULTS: Only two children with a total of six parent-identified problems could be documented. Forty-five treatment goals were identified and 72 treatment activities were observed. The analyses indicated some tuning of parent-identified problems, goals and activities in all subjects, but only four of the treatment activities were perfectly tuned to treatment goals as well as to parent-identified problems. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that transparency and tuning of the pediatric treatment process described in the present study could be improved substantially. Several suggestions for improving the transparency and tuning of the treatment process are discussed.

Parent participation in paediatric rehabilitation treatment centres in the Netherlands: a parents' viewpoint.

AIM: The importance of family-centred care and services has been increasingly emphasized in paediatric rehabilitation. One aspect of family-centred care is parent involvement in their child's treatment. The aims of this study were (1) to describe how, and to what extent parents are involved in the paediatric rehabilitation treatment process in the Netherlands; (2) to determine the level of parents' satisfaction about the services they and their child have received; and (3) to describe what ideas parents have to enhance their involvement in the treatment process. METHODS: A total of 679 parents of children aged 1-20 years who participated in our longitudinal study on family centred care in the Netherlands. The children had various diagnoses and were treated in nine out of 23 Dutch paediatric rehabilitation centres. A random sample of 75 parents was interviewed within 4 weeks after completion of the Measure of Processes of Care and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. A Quality of Care cycle with six stages was used to structure the evaluation. RESULTS: The data showed that parents are involved in all stages of their child's rehabilitation process in various ways. The average level of parent satisfaction about the services received was high. According to the interviewed parents, the communication between professionals and parents, parents' involvement in goal setting, and parents' involvement in treatment could be improved upon. CONCLUSION: Parents are to a large extent involved in all stages of the treatment process in Dutch paediatric rehabilitation settings. Although parents valued the services received, they suggested various ways to enhance parent participation.

Literacy achievement of children with intellectual disabilities and differing linguistic backgrounds.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to examine the literacy achievement of 10- to 12-year-old native and non-native children with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in the Netherlands. An intriguing question within this context was whether the second language learning non-native children with ID would show a double disadvantage when compared with their monolingual Dutch peers with no ID. METHODS: Dutch literacy scores in the domains of word decoding, vocabulary, syntax and text were therefore compared for: (1) intellectually disabled native Dutch children; (2) intellectually disabled non-native children; (3) normally developing native Dutch children; and (4) normally developing non-native children. The interrelations between literacy subskills were also compared for native vs. non-native children with ID. RESULTS: The native and non-native students diagnosed as intellectually disabled produced substantially lower literacy scores than their non-disabled peers. The differences between the native (L1) and non-native (L2) children in regular vs. special education were found to depend on the aspect of literacy considered. Word decoding and language skills turned out to significantly predict the children's reading comprehension, although some differences in the strength of relationships could also be evidenced. CONCLUSIONS: The literacy achievement of intellectually disabled children with differing linguistic backgrounds generally falls behind that of their non-disabled peers. For word decoding, the non-native children in regular and special education were generally able to keep up with their native peers. For higher-order literacy abilities closely related to the mental lexicon, sentence processing and text processing, however, significant differences in the performances of the native (L1) and non-native (L2) children in regular vs. special education were found, suggesting a double disadvantage for the non-native children in special education.

Do social information-processing models explain aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities in residential care?

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine whether the social information-processing model (SIP model) applies to aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). The response-decision element of SIP was expected to be unnecessary to explain aggressive behaviour in these children, and SIP was expected to mediate the relation between social schemata and aggressive behaviour. METHOD: SIP and aggressive behaviour of 130 10- to 14-year-old children with MID in residential care were assessed. The fit of various SIP models was tested with structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The response-decision process was found not to be necessary to explain aggressive behaviour. Social schemata were indirectly related to aggressive behaviour with aggressive response generation as mediating variable. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for SIP theory and intervention are discussed.

Confinement-induced symmetry breaking of interfacial surfactant layers.

Interaction forces between mesoscopic objects are fundamental to soft-condensed matter and are among the prime targets of investigation in colloidal systems. Surfactant molecules are often used to tailor these interactions. The forces are experimentally accessible and for a first theoretical analysis one can make use of a parallel-plate geometry. We present molecularly realistic self-consistent field calculations for an aqueous nonionic surfactant solution near the critical micellization concentration, in contact with two hydrophobic surfaces. The surfactants adsorb cooperatively, and form a monolayer onto each surface. At weak overlap the force increases with increasing compression of the monolayers until suddenly a symmetry braking takes place. One of the monolayers is removed jump-like and as the remaining monolayer can relax, some attraction is observed, which gives way to repulsion at further confinement. The restoring of symmetry at strong confinement occurs as a second-order transition and the force jumps once again from repulsion to attraction. It is anticipated that the metastable branch of the interaction curve will be probed in a typical force experiment. Under normal conditions pronounced hysteresis in the surface force is predicted, without the need to change the adsorbed amount jump-like.

Do children do what they say? Responses to hypothetical and real-life social problems in children with mild intellectual disabilities and behaviour problems.

BACKGROUND: Most research on children's social problem-solving skills is based on responses to hypothetical vignettes. Just how these responses relate to actual behaviour in real-life social situations is, however, unclear, particularly for children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). METHOD: In the present study, the spontaneous and selected responses of 56 children with MID to hypothetical situations from the Social Problem-Solving Test for children with MID (SPT-MID) were compared to their actual behaviour in comparable staged standardized real-life conflict situations. Correlations to externalizing behaviour problems were assessed using the Teacher's Report Form (TRF). RESULTS: The results show children with MID and accompanying externalizing behaviour problems to behave more aggressively in the staged real-life conflicts and provide more spontaneous aggressive responses to the hypothetical vignettes than children with MID and no accompanying externalizing behaviour problems; they did not, however, select more aggressive responses from the hypothetical options provided. A moderate correlation was found between the aggressiveness of the spontaneous responses in the hypothetical situations and actual behaviour in the staged real-life situations. In addition, both the spontaneous aggressive responses under hypothetical circumstances and the actual aggressive behaviour under staged real-life circumstances were related to teacher-rated aggressive behaviour in the classroom. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the hypothetical vignettes from the SPT-MID do provide information on both the actual behaviour and knowledge of social problem-solving skills of children with MID.

Measurement of perceived competence in Dutch children with mild intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Little research has been conducted on the perceived competence of children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). One of the reasons for the marked absence of research appears to be the lack of reliable and clearly valid measurement instruments for this particular group of children. In the present study, it was examined whether a pictorial scale originally designed to measure perceived competence in typically developing children could successfully be used with children with MID. METHODS: The pictorial scale was administered to a group of 106 children with MID. The construct validity, reliability and stability of the scale were investigated. RESULTS: The results of the exploratory factor analyses and the confirmatory factor analyses supported the conceptual framework proposed. The construct validity was also supported by the pattern of intercorrelations between the subscales. The scale had adequate internal consistency and the stability analyses showed sufficient stability across a 4-month period. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show the psychometric properties of the pictorial scale to justify its use with children with MID.

The measure of processes of care (MPOC): validation of the Dutch translation.

AIM: The objective was to validate the Dutch translation of the Canadian measure of processes of care (MPOC) questionnaire for use in children's rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands. MPOC consists of 56 items (assessing five domains) and was designed to find out what parents of children with chronic health problems think of the services they and their child receive and to measure the extent to which these services are family-centred. METHODS: The Canadian validation procedures were followed, consisting of construct and concurrent validation and reliability analyses. Participants were parents of 427 children aged 1-18 years recruited through nine children's rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands. RESULTS: The construct validity of the Dutch version of MPOC (MPOC-NL) was examined with confirmative analyses of the scale structure. These analyses all supported the construct validity of MPOC-NL. MPOC-NL showed adequate internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.80 to 0.95. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.79 to 0.94, which demonstrated good stability of MPOC-NL. The Spearman correlations between MPOC-NL scores and satisfaction questions ranged from 0.39 to 0.73, and thus supported the construct validity of MPOC-NL. Correlations between MPOC-NL scores and a question about parents' stress in relation to services received were moderately negative (r(s) = -0.28 to -0.39). CONCLUSION: The construct and concurrent validity of MPOC-NL was shown by confirmative analyses of the original Canadian scale structure, and by modest Spearman correlations between MPOC-NL scores and satisfaction and stress variables. MPOC-NL is internally consistent and reliable.