Children's Early Awareness of Comprehension as Evident in Their Spontaneous Corrections of Speech Errors.

A crucial human cognitive goal is to understand and to be understood. But understanding often takes active management. Two studies investigated early developmental processes of understanding management by focusing on young children's comprehension monitoring. We ask: When and how do young children actively monitor their comprehension of social-communicative interchanges and so seek to clarify and correct their own potential miscomprehension? Study 1 examined the parent-child conversations of 13 children studied longitudinally in everyday situations from the time the children were approximately 2 years through 3 years. Study 2 used a seminaturalistic situation in the laboratory to address these questions with more precision and control with 36 children aged 2-3 years.

Anger and Sadness Regulation in Refugee Children: The Roles of Pre- and Post-migratory Factors.

Pre- and post-migratory factors have been implicated in refugee children's mental health. However, findings regarding their unique and joint roles are inconsistent or nonexistent. We examined the main and interactive relations of pre-migratory life stressors and post-migratory daily hassles and routines to emotion regulation-a key marker of mental health-in 5- to 13-year-old Syrian refugee children (N = 103) resettling in Canada. Mothers and children completed questionnaires assessing pre-migratory life stressors and post-migratory daily hassles. Mothers also reported their children's adherence to family routines and emotion regulation abilities (i.e., anger and sadness regulation) via questionnaire. Overall, children who more frequently engaged in family routines showed better anger regulation. Pre- and post-migratory factors also interacted, such that greater post-migratory daily hassles were associated with worse sadness regulation for children with lower levels of pre-migratory life stressors, but were unassociated with the sadness regulation of children who experienced higher levels of pre-migratory life stressors. Results suggest that pre- and post-migratory factors play unique and joint roles in refugee children's emotion regulation during resettlement.

Theory-of-Mind Development and Early Sibling Relationships after the Birth of a Sibling: Parental Discipline Matters.

This study investigated relations among children's Theory-of-Mind (ToM) development, early sibling interactions, and parental discipline strategies during the transition to siblinghood. Using a sample of firstborn children and their parents (N = 208), we assessed children's ToM before the birth of a sibling and 12 months after the birth, and sibling interactions (i.e., positive engagement and antagonism) and parental discipline strategies (i.e., child-centred and parent-centred discipline) at 4 and 8 months in the first year of siblinghood. Structural equation modelling analyses revealed that children's ToM before the birth of the sibling predicted children's positive engagement with the infant sibling, whereas children's antagonistic behaviours towards the infant sibling negatively predicted children's ToM at 12 months, but only when mothers used low levels of child-centred discipline. These findings emphasize the role of parents in the development of young children's social- cognitive understanding in the context of sibling interactions even as early as the first year after the sibling's birth.

"Only you can play with me!" Children's inclusive decision making, reasoning, and emotions based on peers' gender and behavior problems.

This study examined the development of children's decisions, reasoning, and emotions in contexts of peer inclusion/exclusion. We asked an ethnically diverse sample of 117 children aged 4years (n=59; 60% girls) and 8years (n=58; 49% girls) to choose between including hypothetical peers of the same or opposite gender and with or without attention deficit/hyperactivity problems and aggressive behavior. Children also provided justifications for, and emotions associated with, their inclusion decisions. Both 4- and 8-year-olds predominantly chose to include the in-group peer (i.e., the same-gender peer and peers without behavior problems), thereby demonstrating a normative in-group inclusive bias. Nevertheless, children included the out-group peer more in the gender context than in the behavior problem contexts. The majority of children reported group functioning-related, group identity-related, and stereotype-related reasoning after their in-group inclusion decisions, and they associated happy feelings with such decisions. Although most children attributed sadness to the excluded out-group peer, they attributed more anger to the excluded out-group peer in the aggression context compared with other contexts. We discuss the implications of our findings for current theorizing about children's social-cognitive and emotional development in contexts of peer inclusion and exclusion.

Child cortisol moderates the association between family routines and emotion regulation in low-income children.

Biological and social influences both shape emotion regulation. In 380 low-income children, we tested whether biological stress profile (cortisol) moderated the association among positive and negative home environment factors (routines; chaos) and emotion regulation (negative lability; positive regulation). Children (M age = 50.6, SD = 6.4 months) provided saliva samples to assess diurnal cortisol parameters across 3 days. Parents reported on home environment and child emotion regulation. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether cortisol parameters moderated associations between home environment and child emotion regulation. Results showed that home chaos was negatively associated with emotion regulation outcomes; cortisol did not moderate the association. Child cortisol level moderated the routines-emotion regulation association such that lack of routine was most strongly associated with poor emotion regulation among children with lower cortisol output. Findings suggest that underlying child stress biology may shape response to environmental influences.

Aggression, Sibling Antagonism, and Theory of Mind During the First Year of Siblinghood: A Developmental Cascade Model.

A developmental cascade model was tested to examine longitudinal associations among firstborn children's aggression, theory of mind (ToM), and antagonism toward their younger sibling during the 1st year of siblinghood. Aggression and ToM were assessed before the birth of a sibling and 4 and 12 months after the birth, and antagonism was examined at 4 and 12 months in a sample of 208 firstborn children (initial Mage  = 30 months, 56% girls) from primarily European American, middle-class families. Firstborns' aggression consistently predicted high sibling antagonism both directly and through poorer ToM. Results highlight the importance of examining longitudinal influences across behavioral, social-cognitive, and relational factors that are closely intertwined even from the early years of life.

Being sensitive in their own way: parental ethnotheories of caregiver sensitivity and child emotion regulation across five countries.

Caregiver sensitivity builds a basis for children's sense of security and effective emotion regulation during their development. Applying a cross-cultural lens, caregiver sensitivity can be divided into two subtypes, reactive and proactive, and its prevalence and meaning may differ across cultures. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of developmental niche and parental ethnotheories, the current study examines culture-specific meanings of caregiver sensitivity across five countries: India, Nepal, Korea, the United States of America (USA), and Germany. We examine the prevalence of maternal reactive and proactive sensitivity, children's emotional lability and regulation, and how mothers' sensitivity types are related to children's emotional characteristics. Participants included 472 mothers from the five countries with children aged between 6 and 7 years. Mothers reported their sensitivity preference in multiple vignettes and completed an emotion regulation checklist to report their children's emotional lability and regulation. A set of analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) found cultural differences in mothers' preference for proactive and reactive sensitivity. Mothers in India and Nepal reported the highest preference for proactive sensitivity followed by Korea and the USA, while German mothers reported the lowest preference for proactive sensitivity. Consequent regression analyses revealed varying associations between proactive sensitivity and child emotional characteristics in all five countries either directly or as moderated by child sex. These results evidence that parental ethnotheories are part of the developmental niche embedded in a larger cultural context. Findings on the differential links between the types of sensitivity and child emotion regulation provide cultural models of parental emotion socialization and children's emotional functioning.

N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) promotes osteoblast differentiation via the N-formyl peptide receptor 1-mediated signaling pathway in human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow.

Binding of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) to its specific cell surface receptor, N-formyl peptide receptor (FPR), triggers different cascades of biochemical events, eventually leading to cellular activation. However, the physiological role of fMLP and FPR during differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells is unknown. In this study, we attempted to determine whether fMLP regulates differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow. Analysis by quantitative-PCR and flow cytometry showed significantly increased expression of FPR1, but not FPR2 and FPR3, during osteoblastic differentiation. fMLP, a specific ligand of FPR1, promotes osteoblastic commitment and suppresses adipogenic commitment under differentiation conditions. Remarkably, fMLP-stimulated osteogenesis is associated with increased expression of osteogenic markers and mineralization, which were blocked by cyclosporine H, a selective FPR1 antagonist. In addition, fMLP inhibited expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ1, a major regulator of adipocytic differentiation. fMLP-stimulated osteogenic differentiation was mediated via FPR1-phospholipase C/phospholipase D-Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent kinase II-ERK-CREB signaling pathways. Finally, fMLP promoted bone formation in zebrafish and rabbits, suggesting its physiological relevance in vivo. Collectively, our findings provide novel insight into the functional role of fMLP in bone biology, with important implications for its potential use as a therapeutic agent for treatment of bone-related disorders.

Taming anger and trusting others: Roles of skin conductance, anger regulation, and trust in children's aggression.

Proactive and reactive aggression subtypes are distinguishable as early as the preschool years. However, their early physiological and social-emotional correlates have not been examined simultaneously. We tested whether children's skin conductance level, anger regulation, and trust in others were differentially related to their proactive and reactive aggression. Four-year-olds and their primary caregivers were recruited from a large Canadian city (N = 150). Controlling for reactive aggression, higher trust was associated with lower proactive aggression, but only for children with low anger regulation or skin conductance level. Controlling for proactive aggression, lower anger regulation was related to higher reactive aggression, and higher trust was related to higher reactive aggression for children with high skin conductance level. Findings highlight the unique and collective relations of physiology, emotion regulation, and trust to different forms of aggression in early childhood. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject Proactive and reactive aggression subtypes are distinguishable as early as the preschool years. Unique physiological and social-emotional correlates of each subtype have been studied in middle and late childhood. Trust is a critical milestone for positive social interactions in early childhood and has been linked to aggression. What the present study adds Physiological and social-emotional correlates are uniquely linked to subtypes of aggression already at age 4. Trust is differentially linked to aggression subtypes as a function of anger regulation and skin conductance level.

Don't touch: Developmental trajectories of toddlers' behavioral regulation related to older siblings' behaviors and parental discipline.

Behavioral regulation is one of the key developmental skills children acquire during early childhood. Previous research has focused primarily on the role of parents as socializing agents in this process, yet it is likely that older siblings also are influential given the numerous daily interactions between siblings. This exploratory longitudinal study investigated developmental heterogeneity in behavioral regulation during toddlerhood and the early preschool years (18 to 36 months) and relations with older siblings' control and behavioral regulation while taking into account parental discipline. Toddlers were visited at home at 18, 24, and 36 months and observed during a gift-delay task with their older sibling in 93 families. Behavioral regulation of both siblings and gentle and harsh control of the older sibling were coded during the sibling gift-delay task, which was validated using parent-reports of toddlers' internalized conduct. Analyses revealed five distinct developmental trajectories among toddlers' behavioral regulation, revealing different patterns of developmental multifinality and equifinality. Older siblings' harsh control and parental discipline differed across toddler trajectory groups. Older siblings' behaviors covaried with the toddlers' behavioral regulation suggesting that older siblings may be acting as models for younger siblings, as well as disciplining and teaching toddlers to resist temptation.

Medium optimization and application of an affinity column chromatography for streptomyces griseus trypsin production from the recombinant Streptomyces griseus.

The expression vector pWHM3-TR1R2, which contains sprT encoding Streptomyces griseus trypsin (SGT) and two positive regulatory genes (sgtR1 and sgtR2), was introduced into S. griseus IFO13350 and the productivity of SGT by the transformant was investigated in various media. Among the tested media, Ferm-0 gave 1.4 times more trypsin activity than C5/L medium. In addition, replacement of 2% glucose and 1% skim milk in Ferm-0 medium with 2% dextrin and 1% tryptone (named as Ferm-II medium) yielded significantly enhanced trypsin activity, by 4.1-fold, than that of Ferm-0. For simplifying the purification process, the cultural supernatant of S. griseus transformant in Ferm-II medium was fractionated with ammonium sulfate (25%-55%), and then applied to Hitrap benzamidine FF affinity column chromatography. The specific activity of the purified SGT by one-step column chromatography was 69,550 unit/mg protein, and the overall purification yield was above 8%, which was more effective than the methods of previous reports. The trypsin activity of the purified SGT was most active at pH 8.0 and 50 degrees C, and maintained their activities between pH 7.0 and pH 9.0, and up to 70 degrees C. These enzymatic properties were very similar to those of authentic eukaryotic trypsin purified from bovine pancreas.

Effect of rapid influenza diagnostic tests on patient management in an emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effect of rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) on patient management in an emergency department for 3 years after 2009, and also identified factors associated with the choice of treatment for patients with influenza-like illnesses. METHODS: The study period consisted of three influenza epidemic seasons. Patients older than 15 years who underwent RIDTs in the emergency department and were then discharged without admission were included. RESULTS: A total of 453 patients were enrolled, 114 of whom had positive RIDT results. Antiviral medication was prescribed to 103 patients (90.4%) who had positive RIDT results, while 1 patient (0.3%) who tested negative was treated with antivirals (P<0.001). Conservative care was administered to 11 RIDT-positive patients (9.6%) and 244 RIDT-negative patients (72.0%) (P<0.001). Symptom onset in less than 48 hours, being older than 65 years, and the presence of comorbidities were not associated with the administration of antiviral therapy. CONCLUSION: RIDT results had a critical effect on physician decision-making regarding antiviral treatment for patients with influenza-like illnesses in the emergency department. However, symptom onset in less than 48 hours, old age, and comorbidities, which are all indications for antiviral therapy, were not found to influence the administration of antiviral treatment.

Rhodium-catalyzed tandem conjugate addition-Mannich cyclization reaction: straightforward access to fully substituted tetrahydroquinolines.

A new Rh(I)-catalyzed tandem conjugate addition-Mannich cyclization reaction of imine-substituted electron-deficient alkenes with arylboronic acids has been developed to afford 2,3,4-trisubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines. This is the first example involving imine group as a secondary electrophile in Rh(I)-catalyzed tandem reactions.

Helping yourself helps others: Linking children's emotion regulation to prosocial behavior through sympathy and trust.

Although emotionally well-regulated children are more likely to behave prosocially, the psychological processes that connect their emotion regulation abilities and prosocial behavior are less clear. We tested if other-oriented sympathy and trust mediated the links between emotion regulation capacities (i.e., resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA], negative emotional intensity, and sadness regulation) and prosocial behavior in an ethnically diverse sample of 4- and 8-year-olds (N = 131; 49% girls). Resting RSA was calculated from children's electrocardiogram data in response to a nondescript video. Sympathy was child and caregiver reported, whereas negative emotional intensity, sadness regulation, trust, and prosocial behavior were caregiver reported. Regardless of age, higher resting RSA was linked to higher sympathy, which was associated with higher prosocial behavior. The positive link between sadness regulation and prosocial behavior was mediated by higher sympathy and trust. Children's other-oriented psychological processes may play important roles in translating certain emotion regulation capacities into prosocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record

Positive Parenting Moderates the Association between Temperament and Self-Regulation in Low-Income Toddlers.

Self-regulation develops rapidly during the toddler years and underlies many important developmental outcomes, including social-emotional competence and academic achievement. It is important to understand factors that contribute to early self-regulation skills among children at risk for adjustment difficulties in these domains, such as children growing up in poverty. The current study examined mother-reported child temperament (negative affect, effortful control) and observed maternal parenting (during a mother-child free play) as contributing factors to toddlers' observed self-regulation during delay of gratification tasks at 27 months (snack delay) and 33 months (gift delay). Participants were 198 toddlers (M age = 27 months; 53% boys; 48% non-Hispanic white) and their mothers from low-income families. Mothers' negative parenting characterized by negative affect, hostility, and negative control was associated with poorer self-regulation contemporaneously. Toddlers' lower negative affect and higher effortful control predicted better self-regulation at 33 months, but positive parenting characterized by positive affect and sensitivity moderated these associations at both time points. Specifically, we found a buffering effect of high positive parenting among toddlers with a temperamental risk and a deleterious effect of low positive parenting despite toddlers' temperamental strength. Results highlight the importance of positive parenting for fostering the development of self-regulation among toddlers growing up with poverty-related and child-level risks.

Rapid screen of human genes for relevance to cancer using fission yeast.

A total of 437 human full-length cDNAs isolated by microarray analysis of liver and/or gastric cancer tissues were evaluated for their relevance to cancer using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Overexpression of 161 human cDNAs in S. pombe caused growth inhibition and/or morphological changes, which can be considered as cancer-related phenotypes of S. pombe. Sixteen genes causing growth defects and morphological changes at the same time were chosen to validate their ostensible oncogenic properties. They were highly expressed in liver and/or gastric cancer cell lines. Also, when the mouse embryonic fibroblast cell type NIH3T3 was transfected with these genes, the proliferation rates of cells were increased by 32% to 120%. This study demonstrates that fission yeast can be used as an advantageous and powerful tool for the rapid screening of human genes relevant to cancer. Furthermore, the human genes screened can be tested further as diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for liver and stomach cancers. They also can be studied further for the elucidation of mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis.

Learning curve and period of experience required for the competent diagnosis of acute appendicitis using abdominal computed tomography: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the learning curve of novice residents in diagnosing acute appendicitis using abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted within a 4-month period from March 1 to June 30, 2015. After CT scans for right lower quadrant pain or similar acute abdomen were evaluated, postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents completed an interpretation checklist. The primary outcome was evaluation of the learning curve for competent CT scan interpretation under suspicion of acute appendicitis. Secondary outcomes were cumulative numbers of accurate abdominal CT interpretations regardless of initial clinical impression and training period. RESULTS: PGY-1 residents recorded a total of 230 interpretation checklists. There were 53, 51, 46, 44, and 36 checklists recorded by individual residents and 92, 92, 91, 91, and 61 respective training days in the emergency department, excluding rotation periods in other departments. After 16 to 20 interpretations of abdominal CT scans performed under suspicion of acute appendicitis, the residents could diagnose acute appendicitis with more than 95% accuracy. Overall, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing acute appendicitis were 97% (95% confidence interval, 94 to 100) and 83% (95% confidence interval, 80 to 87), respectively. After 61 to 80 abdominal CT interpretations regardless of suspicion of acute appendicitis and after 41 to 50 days in training, PGY-1 emergency department residents could diagnose acute appendicitis with more than 95% accuracy. CONCLUSION: PGY-1 residents require 16 to 20 checklist interpretations to acquire acceptable abdominal CT interpretation. After performing 61 to 80 CT scans regardless of suspicion of acute appendicitis, they could diagnose acute appendicitis with acceptable accuracy.