Hot and cool executive function in the development of behavioral problems in grade school.

Despite the well-established link between children's executive function and behavioral adjustment, it remains unclear whether the hot and cool aspects of executive function are uniquely associated with children's behavioral problems. Using longitudinal data spanning in the grade school (N = 1,140), this study aimed to examine whether hot and cool executive function skills may be uniquely related to the development of behavioral problems. Hot and cool executive function skills were measured with tasks, standardized tests, and questionnaires at 54 months and in the first grade, respectively. Internalizing and externalizing problems were evaluated by teachers using questionnaires throughout the grade school. The results indicated that, independent of each other, hot and cool executive function skills were uniquely and negatively related to the development of internalizing and externalizing problems over time at the between-individual level, adjusting for within-individual fluctuations. Moreover, internalizing and externalizing problems were positively related at the between-individual level across the grade school. Findings provide needed evidence to clarify the relations between hot and cool executive function and children's behavioral problems, emphasizing the importance of both aspects of executive function in understanding the development of behavioral problems in school-age children.

School bullying and self-efficacy in adolescence: A meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Given that literature has examined the relation between school bullying and self-efficacy, findings have been mixed. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify whether school bullying is associated with adolescents' self-efficacy, a key component of social information processing essential for the evaluation of potential behavioral responses. We further examined moderators associated with heterogeneity in the above relation, including participant roles, types of school bullying, types of self-efficacy, and demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, and cultural background). METHOD: This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Statement for searching, identifying, and screening eligible articles. A total of 53 articles (N = 71,661; Mage = 12.69 years) were included (50 in English and 3 in Chinese). Articles were coded by two graduate-level coders independently with a high inter-rater reliability (97.12%). RESULTS: The results showed that (1) school bullying was negatively associated with self-efficacy (r = -.07, p < .001) among adolescents, and (2) the above relation varied by participant role (e.g., bullies, victims, bully-victims, and defenders), types of school bullying (e.g., traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and both), and types of self-efficacy (e.g., general and domain-specific self-efficacy). FINDINGS: The findings highlight that school bullying is associated with disruptive cognitive processing in adolescence, low self-efficacy in particular, and the heterogeneity should be considered to fully understand the association between school bullying and self-efficacy among adolescents.

Mothers' depressive symptoms and children's behavioral adjustment: The role of negative parental emotional states.

The contribution of fathers and family dynamics to the deleterious effects of mothers' depressive symptoms on children's behavioral adjustment has been evaluated in this study. Using longitudinal data spanning from toddlerhood to grade school (N = 1,311), this study examined whether negative emotional states in both parents related to mothers' cumulative depressive symptoms during the early years of children were associated with children's later internalizing and externalizing problems in grade school. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to segregate between- and within-individual effects. The results demonstrated that, independent of fathers' depressive symptoms, high levels of maternal cumulative depressive symptoms were positively associated with negative emotional states in both parents over time, which then independently mediated the longitudinal associations between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's subsequent behavioral maladjustment, particularly internalizing problems, at the between-individual trait level. The findings highlight the interdependence of family members from a longitudinal perspective and support the unique contributions of both parents' negative emotional states to better understand children's behavioral adjustment in the context of maternal depressive symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk factors for venous thromboembolism in patients with spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The risk factors for VTE in patients with SCI are complex. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was conducted to clarify the risk factors for VTE in patients with SCI. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Med Data Database, and VIP Database were searched to identify studies reporting on risk factors for VTE in patients with SCI. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 25 studies. Findings showed that risk of VTE in patients with SCI was significantly associated with middle- and old-age (OR = 2.08, 95%CI, 1.47, 2.95), male sex (OR = 1.41, 95%CI, 1.26, 1.59), complete paralysis (OR = 3.69, 95%CI, 2.60, 5.24), personal/family history of venous thrombosis (OR = 1.95, 95%CI, 1.35, 2.81), history of smoking (OR = 2.67, 95%CI, 1.79, 3.98), lack of compression therapy (OR = 2.44, 95%CI, 1.59, 3.73), presence of lower limb/pelvic fracture (OR = 3.47, 95%CI, 1.79, 6.75), paraplegia (OR = 1.81, 95%CI, 1.49, 2.19), and diabetes (OR = 4.24, 95%CI, 2.75, 6.52). CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis identified 9 risk factors for VTE in patients with SCI. Healthcare providers should be aware of the risk factors for VTE when rehabilitating patients with SCI.

Bistrochelides H-L: Biscembranoids from the south China sea soft coral Sarcophyton serenei.

Five undescribed biscembranoids, bistrochelides H-L, along with four known biscembranoids, glaucumolides A-B and bistrochelides A-B, were isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton serenei collected off the Xisha Island in the South China Sea. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by HRESIMS (high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy) spectrometry, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and the comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. In bioassay, some compounds showed a strong inhibitory effect on osteoclast precursor cells at the concentration of 10 µM. Additionally, all compounds exhibited weakly antimicrobial activity against Vibrio harveyi.

Maternal involvement in education mediates longitudinal associations between maternal depressive symptoms and child adjustment.

Children of mothers with high depressive symptoms are at heightened risks for maladjustment in grade school. Yet, the process through which maternal depressive symptoms pose risks for child adjustment is not well understood. This study examined the mediating role of maternal involvement in education in the longitudinal associations between maternal depressive symptoms and children's school adjustment. Three waves of data spanning from first to fifth grades were used (N = 1,364). Depressive symptoms, maternal involvement in education, and children's internalizing and externalizing problems were reported by mothers. Teachers reported children's academic performance. Results showed that maternal depressive symptoms were negatively associated with their subsequent involvement in education. Low maternal involvement in education mediated longitudinal relations of maternal depressive symptoms to poor academic performance and internalizing problems, but not externalizing problems, in children. Results further demonstrated that the role of maternal involvement in education was independent of parental sensitivity. Findings highlighted the unique role of low maternal involvement in education in understanding the risks that maternal depressive symptoms pose on children's adjustment in grade school. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Development of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Primary School: Contributions of Executive Function and Social Competence.

This study sought to elucidate the contributions of inferior executive function and social competence to the development of internalizing and externalizing problems in primary school. Children (N = 1,115), on average 5.36 years old in first grade, were followed across primary school with measures of multi-method and multi-informant. Results of growth modeling demonstrated that poor executive function in first grade predicted high levels of both problems and a low rate of decline in externalizing problems over time, independent of the co-occurrence of both problems. Moreover, the impact of poor executive function on behavioral problems may be dependent on its association with disruptive social competence. Findings highlighted the interrelations of risk factors to understanding the development of behavioral problems in primary school.

Self-Reported Sleep and Executive Function in Early Primary School Children.

The study investigated the associations between children's self-reported habitual sleep disturbance and multidimensional executive function (EF). Two hundred and four 7-9-year-old typically developing children completed the Sleep Self-Report and finished the Red-Blue Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Backward Digit Span Test, indexing different EF components including inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Results revealed that all the three EF components were significantly correlated with sleep. However, cognitive flexibility was no longer significantly related to sleep when the other EF components - inhibitory control and working memory - were controlled for. Meanwhile, inhibitory control, as well as working memory, was still significantly related to sleep after controlling for the other EF components. Results suggest that children's self-reported sleep might be associated directly with inhibitory control and working memory, but indirectly with cognitive flexibility.

Persistent Effect of Gait Exercise Assist Robot Training on Gait Ability and Lower Limb Function of Patients With Subacute Stroke: A Matched Case-Control Study With Three-Dimensional Gait Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Gait exercise assist robot (GEAR), a gait rehabilitation robot developed for poststroke gait disorder, has been shown to improve walking speed and to improve the poststroke gait pattern. However, the persistence of its beneficial effect has not been clarified. In this matched case-control study, we assessed the durability of the effectiveness of GEAR training in patients with subacute stroke on the basis of clinical evaluation and three-dimensional (3D) gait analysis. METHODS: Gait data of 10 patients who underwent GEAR intervention program and 10 patients matched for age, height, sex, affected side, type of stroke, and initial gait ability who underwent conventional therapy were extracted from database. The outcome measures were walk score of Functional Independence Measure (FIM-walk), Stroke Impairment Assessment Set total lower limb motor function score (SIAS-L/E), and 3D gait analysis data (spatiotemporal factors and abnormal gait patter indices) at three time points: baseline, at the end of intervention, and within 1 week before discharge. RESULTS: In the GEAR group, the FIM-walk score, SIAS-L/E score, cadence, and single stance time of paretic side at discharge were significantly higher than those at post-training (p < 0.05), whereas the stance time and double support time of the unaffected side, knee extensor thrust, insufficient knee flexion, and external rotated hip of the affected side were significantly lower (p < 005). However, no significant differences in these respects were observed in the control group between the corresponding evaluation time points. CONCLUSION: The results indicated significant improvement in the GEAR group after the training period, with respect to both clinical parameters and the gait pattern indices. This improvement was not evident in the control group after the training period. The results possibly support the effectiveness of GEAR training in conferring persistently efficient gait patterns in patients with poststroke gait disorder. Further studies should investigate the long-term effects of GEAR training in a larger sample.

Gait characteristics of post-stroke hemiparetic patients with different walking speeds.

Hemiparesis resulting from stroke presents characteristic spatiotemporal gait patterns. This study aimed to clarify the spatiotemporal gait characteristics of hemiparetic patients by comparing them with height-, speed-, and age-matched controls while walking at various speeds. The data on spatiotemporal gait parameters of stroke patients and that of matched controls were extracted from a hospital gait analysis database. In total, 130 pairs of data were selected for analysis. Patients and controls were compared for spatiotemporal gait parameters and the raw value (RSI) and absolute value (ASI) of symmetry index and coefficient of variation (CV) of these parameters. Stroke patients presented with prolonged nonparetic stance (patients vs. controls: 1.01 ± 0.41 vs. 0.83 ± 0.25) and paretic swing time (0.45 ± 0.12 vs. 0.39 ± 0.07), shortened nonparetic swing phase (0.35 ± 0.07 vs. 0.39 ± 0.07), and prolonged paretic and nonparetic double stance phases [0.27 ± 0.13 (paretic)/0.27 ± 0.17 (nonparetic) vs. 0.22 ± 0.10]. These changes are especially seen in low-gait speed groups (<3.4 km/h). High RSIs of stance and swing times were also observed (-9.62 ± 10.32 vs. -0.79 ± 2.93, 24.24 ± 25.75 vs. 1.76 ± 6.43, respectively). High ASIs and CVs were more generally observed, including the groups with gait speed of ≥3.5 km/h. ASI increase of the swing phase (25.79 ± 22.69 vs. 4.83 ± 4.88) and CV of the step length [7.7 ± 4.9 (paretic)/7.6 ± 5.0 (nonparetic) vs. 5.3 ± 3.0] were observed in all gait speed groups. Our data suggest that abnormalities in the spatiotemporal parameters of hemiparetic gait should be interpreted in relation to gait speed. ASIs and CVs could be highly sensitive indices for detecting gait abnormalities.

Longitudinal relations between executive function and internalizing problems in grade school: The role of peer difficulty and academic performance.

Deficits in executive function have been associated with internalizing problems in children. Yet little is known about the mechanisms that may explain this association. Using longitudinal data across elementary school years (N = 1,364), this study examined the role of peer difficulty and poor academic performance in understanding longitudinal associations between executive function and internalizing problems. Executive function was measured in first grade with observed tasks and standardized tests. Peer difficulty and academic performance were reported by teachers and/or mothers at three waves. Internalizing problems were reported by mothers at four waves. Using structural equation modeling, results demonstrated that peer difficulty and poor academic performance independently mediated longitudinal relations between executive function and internalizing problems. Findings highlighted the importance of children's functioning in key identity domains in understanding the adverse impact of inferior executive function on internalizing problems in school-age children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems in preschoolers of depressed mothers: Examining gender differences.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to examine the development of global and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems in preschoolers whose mothers have high depressive symptoms, a topic that is less often studied. METHOD: This longitudinal study consisted of 201 families with mothers who reported clinically-relevant depressive symptoms. Mothers rated their depressive symptoms across children's first two years. Children's internalizing and externalizing problems were reported by caregivers or teachers at three waves in early childhood. RESULTS: Using growth curve analyses, findings revealed gender-variant patterns in the development of internalizing and externalizing problems. Across early childhood, boys of mothers with depressive symptoms exhibited stable internalizing and increasing externalizing problems whereas girls exhibited declining trajectories of both problems. Further examination of within-gender variation indicated the heterogeneity in trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems only among girls. Moreover, the co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing problems was evident in both genders. LIMITATIONS: This study was based on a community sample and thus caution should be exerted to generalize findings to clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that boys may be at heightened risk for behavioral problems in the face of high maternal depressive symptoms and that internalizing and externalizing problems tend to co-occur in this group of at-risk preschoolers.

Intrusive parenting and child externalizing behaviors across childhood: The antecedents and consequences of child-driven effects.

Many developmental theorists have studied the mutual influences in parent-child dyads. However, absent from this area of work are longitudinal studies that examine how child elicited changes in the home environment in turn shape children's own long-term development and adjustment. The current study addresses this limitation by operationalizing child-driven effects in a multilevel model to predict children's adjustment through age 15 (n = 1,364). From 24-months to 7 years of age, children's externalizing behaviors predicted increases in mothers' intrusive parenting behaviors. These child-driven effects were particularly salient for non-White children and mothers who were at risk socioeconomically. More important, these elicited changes in mothers' intrusive parenting as a result of children's externalizing behaviors during early childhood, in turn, predicted children's externalizing behaviors through age 15. When taken together, these findings suggest that children have the potential to shape their own development in the long-term by initiating changes in their home environment. Accordingly, interventions designed to mitigate children's externalizing behaviors may need to address, not only general parenting practices, but also specific and efficient parenting strategies in response to children's behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of a novel cone tool for pinprick sensation examination in patients with spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Psychometrics study. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to introduce a novel tool for pinprick sensation examination and validate its usefulness in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: China Rehabilitation Research Center, Capital Medical University School of Rehabilitation Medicine, China. METHODS: A set of cone tools with different tapers (22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, 90°, 112.5°, 135°, 157.5°, and 180°) was made. The cone tool was validated first in 91 able-bodied individuals and then in 30 patients with SCI. The reliability and validity of the cone tool were analyzed by comparing the results of a pinprick sensation examination with the results of the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of SCI (ISNCSCI), the cone tool, and the thermal analyzer. RESULTS: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the cone tool in able-bodied individuals was between 0.48 and 0.94 while that of the cone tool and the ISNCSCI tool ranged between 0.43 and 0.78. Pinprick sensation in patients with SCI can be graded into five levels using four tapers (22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, and 90°): normal, slight impairment, moderate impairment, severe impairment, and complete loss of sensation. CONCLUSION: This easy-to-use cone tool can produce a reliable semi-quantitative pinprick test result and is useful for pinprick sensation examination in patients with SCI.

Developmental Trajectories of Attention in Typically Developing Chinese Children: A Four-Wave Longitudinal Study.

We conducted a 4-year longitudinal study to investigate trajectories of attention in a sample of 145 Chinese children. The Test of Everyday Attention was administered and latent growth modeling was used to capture developmental trajectories. We found that children's selective attention showed a linear increase, whereas attentional control and sustained attention increased rapidly then slowed down over 4 years. There was no significant correlation between the slopes of growth model for any subsystems. Girls showed higher initial levels of selective attention than boys, but no difference in growth rate. These findings support different developmental patterns in the attention network systems.

Intergenerational Transmission of Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Parental Negative Perceptions and Behaviors.

This study examined parental proximal processes involving in the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms from parents to their children. Extant literature has predominantly focused on maternal depressive symptoms. Yet, the mechanisms that may underlie the transmission of paternal depressive symptoms is less often studied. Participants were Chinese parents of first-graders (N = 2282). Results of structural equation modeling suggested that maternal and paternal depressive symptoms may be transmitted to their children through differential processes. Depressive symptoms in mothers, but not in fathers, were associated with their negatively-biased perceptions and dysfunctional parenting practices, which then predicted depressive symptoms in children. Moreover, mothers' depressive symptoms were associated with children's depressive symptoms regardless of child gender, whereas fathers' depressive symptoms were associated with boys', but not girls', depressive symptoms. Findings expand the understandings on parental processes in the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms in families, the role of paternal depressive symptoms in promoting children's depressive symptoms, and who may be at particular risks for psychopathology in the face of parental depressive symptoms.

Mothers' depressive symptoms in infancy and children's adjustment in grade school: The role of children's sustained attention and executive function.

On the basis of longitudinal data across 9 years, this study examined the contribution of sustained attention and executive function to the poor cognitive and socioemotional adjustment of school-age children whose mothers had depressive symptoms during the child's infancy. Mothers (N = 1,364) reported depressive symptoms across their child's infancy and early childhood. Maternal sensitivity was observed during laboratory interactions at 36 months. At school entry children's sustained attention and executive function were measured with computer-generated tasks. In third grade, cognitive and socioemotional adjustment was assessed with standardized tests and the reports of fathers and teachers. Using structural equation modeling, findings showed that (a) exposure to mothers' depressive symptoms during the child's infancy, independent of later exposure, uniquely predicted children's poor sustained attention and executive function at school entry; (b) deficits in children's sustained attention and executive function occurred because of depressed mothers' tendencies to display insensitive parenting behavior; and (c) these deficits explained in part relations between exposure to mothers' depressive symptoms in infancy and children's poor cognitive and socioemotional adjustment in third grade. Findings highlight the potential importance of children's exposure to mothers' depressive symptoms specifically during the child's infancy for disrupting the development of fundamental cognitive processes that may underlie the adjustment problems children of depressed mothers display in middle childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record

Mothers' depressive symptoms and children's externalizing behavior: Children's negative emotionality in the development of hostile attributions.

This study examined processes that might account for why negatively emotional children are at high risk for externalizing behavior problems when raised by mothers with depressive symptoms. Because negative emotionality regulates adaptation to stress, we predicted that it would undermine children's adjustment to mothers' depressive symptoms by increasing child emotions likely to elicit reciprocal negativity from depressed mothers, bias negatively children's attributions about others, and activate difficult-to-control oppositional responses. In a large sample (N = 1,082) evaluated from 6 months to second grade, results showed that, when mothers had depressive symptoms early in the child's development, children who were high in negative emotionality-but not those who were low-displayed increased risk for externalizing problems in second grade. This risk reflected tendencies for negatively emotional children, when raised by mothers with depressive symptoms, to develop hostile attributions about others and poor self-regulation of the negativity these attributions promote. The findings suggest that, when mothers with depressive symptoms raise negatively emotional children, children's risk for externalizing behavior problems may reflect tendencies for high negative emotion in children and reciprocal negativity in the dyad to undermine the development of attributional and self-regulatory processes. (PsycINFO Database Record

Better ILP-Based Approaches to Haplotype Assembly.

Haplotype assembly is to directly construct the haplotypes of an individual from sequence fragments (reads) of the individual. Although a number of programs have been designed for computing optimal or heuristic solutions to the haplotype assembly problem, computing an optimal solution may take days or even months while computing a heuristic solution usually requires a trade-off between speed and accuracy. This article refines a previously known integer linear programming-based (ILP-based) approach to the haplotype assembly problem in twofolds. First, the read-matrices of some datasets (such as NA12878) come with a quality for each base in the reads. We here propose to utilize the qualities in the ILP-based approach. Secondly, we propose to use the ILP-based approach to improve the output of any heuristic program for the problem. Experiments with both real and simulated datasets show that the qualities of read-matrices help us find more accurate solutions without significant loss of speed. Moreover, our experimental results show that the proposed hybrid approach improves the output of ReFHap (the current leading heuristic) significantly (say, by almost 25% of the QAN50 score) without significant loss of speed, and can even find optimal solutions in much shorter time than the original ILP-based approach. Our program is available upon request to the authors.

Surface electromyography as a measure of trunk muscle activity in patients with spinal cord injury: a meta-analytic review.

CONTEXT: Surface electromyography (SEMG) may be a sensitive marker for distinguishing the activity of trunk muscles, which are critical to functional mobility recovery in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). OBJECTIVES: This manuscript presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature on the effect of SEMG as a measure of trunk muscle activity in patients with SCI. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the research literature included Pubmed, Medline, CNKI, WANFANG DATA, Web of Science, Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Karger, OVID, and a review of reference lists within found articles. Case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies were included in the review. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis. Trunk muscle activities for the sitting condition were greater in patients with SCI than normal subjects. SEMG activity of trunk muscles for the sitting condition and posterior transfer was greater in patients with high level (HL)-SCI compared to those with low level (LL)-SCI. In addition, across studies, the level of trunk muscle activity for various difficulty settings was different for a given SCI group. CONCLUSION: This systematic review evaluated the value of trunk muscles for patients with SCI. We recommend use of SEMG as an assessment tool for improving the comparability and interpretability of trunk muscle activity of SCI therapeutic strategies.