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Fragestellung: Prospektive Bedeutung von Risikofaktoren des Kindes- und Jugendalters für externalisierende und internalisierende Störungen. Methode: Prospektive Längsschnittstudie vom Grundschul- zum frühen Erwachsenenalter. 321 Personen nahmen an allen Untersuchungen im Alter von 8, 13, 18 und 25 Jahren teil. Ergebnisse: Es zeigte sich, daß psychische Störungen in hohem Maße geschlechtsabhängig sind. Besonders groß waren die Unterschiede im frühen Erwachsenenalter, wobei internalisierende Störungen bei Frauen und externalisierende Störungen bei Männern deutlich überwogen. Externalisierende Störungen des Erwachsenenalters ließen sich besser vorhersagen als internalisierende Störungen. Dies ließ sich vor allem durch die größere prädiktive Bedeutung früher Risikofaktoren bis zum Alter von 8 Jahren erklären. Für die Vorhersage internalisierender Störungen war hingegen der Einfluß der Risikofaktoren des späten Jugendalters und des Übergangs zum Erwachsenenalter größer. 10% der untersuchten Stichprobe wies persistente Störungen auf und stellt damit eine Hochrisikogruppe dar. Dieser Verlaufstyp zeichnet sich durch stabil hohe Risikokonstellationen zu allen Untersuchungszeitpunkten aus. Schlüsselwörter: Risikofaktoren, Prävalenz, Geschlechtsunterschiede, Verlaufstypen, externalisierende Störungen, internalisierende Störungen, psychische Störungen, Kindes- und Jugendalter, Erwachsenenalter Childhood and adolescent predictors of mental disorders from childhood to early adulthood. Abstract. Objectives: Prospective impact of child and adolescent risk factors on externalizing and internalizing disorders. Methods: Prospective longitudinal study from childhood to early adulthood. 321 persons participated at age 8, 13, 18 and 25 years. Results: Sex differences in the prevalence rates of mental disorders were found. The highest differences were found in early adulthood. Females showed higher rates of internalizing disorders, whereas males showed higher rates of externalizing disorders. Externalizing disorders in adulthood could be predicted better than internalizing disorders. This result could be explained by the greater predictive power of childhood risk factors for externalizing disorders. Risk factors of adolescence and the transmission period to adulthood played a more prominent role in the prediction of internalizing disorders. 10% of the studied sample showed persistent disorders and was identified as a high-risk sample. This developmental pattern of mental disorders shows stable risk constellations from childhood to adulthood. Key words: risk factors, prevalence, sex differences, developmental patterns, externalizing disorders, internalizing disorders, mental disorders, childhood and adolescence, adulthood
Gilbert et al. conclude that evidence from the Open Science Collaboration’s Reproducibility Project: Psychology indicates high reproducibility, given the study methodology. Their very optimistic assessment is limited by statistical misconceptions and by causal inferences from selectively interpreted, correlational data. Using the Reproducibility Project: Psychology data, both optimistic and pessimistic conclusions about reproducibility are possible, and neither are yet warranted.
The electrochemical conversion of N-2 at ambient conditions using renewably generated electricity is an attractive approach for sustainable ammonia (NH3) production. Considering the chemical inertness of N-2, rational design of efficient and stable catalysts is required. Therefore, in this work, it is demonstrated that a C-doped TiO2/C (C-TixOy/C) material derived from the metal-organic framework (MOF) MIL-125(Ti) can achieve a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 17.8 %, which even surpasses most of the established noble metal-based catalysts. On the basis of the experimental results and theoretical calculations, the remarkable properties of the catalysts can be attributed to the doping of carbon atoms into oxygen vacancies (OVs) and the formation of Ti-C bonds in C-TixOy. This binding motive is found to be energetically more favorable for N-2 activation compared to the non-substituted OVs in TiO2. This work elucidates that electrochemical N-2 reduction reaction (NRR) performance can be largely improved by creating catalytically active centers through rational substitution of anions into metal oxides.
For millennia, humans have affected landscapes all over the world. Due to horizontal expansion, agriculture plays a major role in the process of fragmentation. This process is caused by a substitution of natural habitats by agricultural land leading to agricultural landscapes. These landscapes are characterized by an alternation of agriculture and other land use like forests. In addition, there are landscape elements of natural origin like small water bodies. Areas of different land use are beside each other like patches, or fragments. They are physically distinguishable which makes them look like a patchwork from an aerial perspective. These fragments are each an own ecosystem with conditions and properties that differ from their adjacent fragments. As open systems, they are in exchange of information, matter and energy across their boundaries. These boundary areas are called transition zones. Here, the habitat properties and environmental conditions are altered compared to the interior of the fragments. This changes the abundance and the composition of species in the transition zones, which in turn has a feedback effect on the environmental conditions.
The literature mainly offers information and insights on species abundance and composition in forested transition zones. Abiotic effects, the gradual changes in energy and matter, received less attention. In addition, little is known about non-forested transition zones. For example, the effects on agricultural yield in transition zones of an altered microclimate, matter dynamics or different light regimes are hardly researched or understood. The processes in transition zones are closely connected with altered provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. To disentangle the mechanisms and to upscale the effects, models can be used.
My thesis provides insights into these topics: literature was reviewed and a conceptual framework for the quantitative description of gradients of matter and energy in transition zones was introduced. The results of measurements of environmental gradients like microclimate, aboveground biomass and soil carbon and nitrogen content are presented that span from within the forest into arable land. Both the measurements and the literature review could not validate a transition zone of 100 m for abiotic effects. Although this value is often reported and used in the literature, it is likely to be smaller.
Further, the measurements suggest that on the one hand trees in transition zones are smaller compared to those in the interior of the fragments, while on the other hand less biomass was measured in the arable lands’ transition zone. These results support the hypothesis that less carbon is stored in the aboveground biomass in transition zones. The soil at the edge (zero line) between adjacent forest and arable land contains more nitrogen and carbon content compared to the interior of the fragments. One-year measurements in the transition zone also provided evidence that microclimate is different compared to the fragments’ interior.
To predict the possible yield decreases that transition zones might cause, a modelling approach was developed. Using a small virtual landscape, I modelled the effect of a forest fragment shading the adjacent arable land and the effects of this on yield using the MONICA crop growth model. In the transition zone yield was less compared to the interior due to shading. The results of the simulations were upscaled to the landscape level and exemplarily calculated for the arable land of a whole region in Brandenburg, Germany.
The major findings of my thesis are: (1) Transition zones are likely to be much smaller than assumed in the scientific literature; (2) transition zones aren’t solely a phenomenon of forested ecosystems, but significantly extend into arable land as well; (3) empirical and modelling results show that transition zones encompass biotic and abiotic changes that are likely to be important to a variety of agricultural landscape ecosystem services.
Background: Depressed mood is prevalent during pregnancy, with accumulating evidence suggesting an impact on developmental outcome in the offspring. However, the long-term effects of prenatal maternal depression regarding internalizing psychopathology in the offspring are as yet unclear. Results: In n=85 young adults exposed to prenatal maternal depressed mood, no significantly higher risk for a diagnosis of depressive disorder was observed. However, they reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms. This association was especially pronounced when prenatal maternal depressed mood was present during the first trimester of pregnancy and when maternal mood was depressed pre- as well as postnatally. At an uncorrected level only, prenatal maternal depressed mood was associated with decreased amygdala volume. Limitations: Prenatal maternal depressed mood was not assessed during pregnancy, but shortly after childbirth. No diagnoses of maternal clinical depression during pregnancy were available. Conclusions: Self-reported depressive symptoms do not imply increased, but rather decreased symptom levels in young adults who were exposed to prenatal maternal depressed mood. A long-term perspective may be important when considering consequences of prenatal risk factors.
In einer prospektiven Längsschnittstudie wurden Auswirkungen früher psychosozialer Risiken bis ins junge Erwachsenenalter untersucht und dabei die Rolle von affektiver und behavioraler Dysregulation im Kindesalter als vermittelndem Faktor überprüft. Drei Monate nach der Geburt wurde das Vorliegen von 11 psychosozialen Belastungsfaktoren erfasst. Im Alter von 8 – 15 Jahren wurde dreimal das Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulationsprofil (CBCL-DP) erhoben. Mit 25 Jahren wurde ein Strukturiertes Klinisches Interview durchgeführt und 309 der Teilnehmer füllten den Young Adult Self-Report aus. Frühe psychosoziale Risiken gingen mit einem erhöhten Risiko für das Vorliegen eines Substanzmissbrauchs im jungen Erwachsenenalter sowie mit erhöhtem externalisierendem und internalisierendem Problemverhalten einher. Der Zusammenhang zwischen frühen psychosozialen Risiken und späterem externalisierendem bzw. internalisierendem Problemverhalten wurde durch das CBCL-DP vermittelt.
Die Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie untersucht die psychische Entwicklung und ihre Störungen bei Kindern mit unterschiedlich ausgeprägten Risiken mit dem Ziel, Empfehlungen für die Verbesserung der Prävention, Früherkennung und Frühbehandlung von psychischen Störungen bei Kindern abzuleiten. Dazu begleitet sie eine Kohorte von anfangs 384 Kindern in ihrer Entwicklung von der Geburt bis zum Erwachsenenalter. Die Erhebungen fanden in regelmäßigen Abständen statt, beginnend im Alter von 3 Monaten, mit 2 Jahren, 4;6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23 und 25 Jahren. Geplant ist eine weitere Erhebung mit ca. 30 Jahren.
Reports of current ADHD symptoms in adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD are often discrepant: While one subgroup reports a particularly high level of current ADHD symptoms, another reports—in contrast—a very low level. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. Although sex might play a moderating role, it has not yet been examined in this regard. In an epidemiological cohort study from birth to young adulthood, childhood ADHD diagnoses were assessed at the ages of 4.5, 8, and 11 years based on parent ratings. Sex-specific development of ADHD symptoms was analyzed from the age of 15 to 25 years via self-reported ADHD symptoms in participants with (n = 47) and without childhood ADHD (n = 289) using a random coefficient regression model. The congruence between parent reports and adolescents’ self-ratings was examined, and the role of childhood ADHD diagnosis, childhood OCC/CD, and childhood internalizing disorder as possible sex-specific predictors of self-reported ADHD symptoms at age 25 years was investigated. With regard to self-reported ADHD symptoms, females with a childhood ADHD diagnosis reported significantly more ADHD symptoms compared to females without childhood ADHD and males with and without ADHD throughout adolescence and young adulthood. In contrast, males with childhood ADHD did not differ from control males either at age 15 or at age 25 years. Only in females did a childhood diagnosis of an externalizing disorder (ADHD and CD/ODD) predict self-reported ADHD symptoms by age 25 years. Our findings suggest that self-reports of young adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD are influenced by sex. Specifically, females with childhood ADHD report increased levels of ADHD symptoms upon reaching adulthood. To correctly evaluate symptoms and impairment in this subgroup, other, more objective, sources of information may be advisable, such as neurophysiological measures.
Human-driven fragmentation of landscapes leads to the formation of transition zones between ecosystems that are characterised by fluxes of matter, energy and information. These transition zones may offer rather inhospitable habitats that could jeopardise biodiversity. On the other hand, transition zones are also reported to be hotspots for biodiversity and even evolutionary processes. The general mechanisms and influence of processes in transition zones are poorly understood. Although heterogeneity and diversity of land use of fragments and the transition zones between them play an important role, most studies only refer to forested transition zones. Often, only an extrapolation of measurements in the different fragments themselves is reported to determine gradients in transition zones. This paper contributes to a quantitative understanding of agricultural landscapes beyond individual ecotopes, and towards connected ecosystem mosaics that may be beneficial for the provision of ecosystem services.
Child regulative temperament as a mediator of parenting in the development of depressive symptoms
(2017)
Child temperament as well as parenting behaviors have been linked to adolescent depression. Beyond their main effects, the interplay between these factors is of interest. For example, in an interactive model, a differential susceptibility of temperamental variants to parenting has been suggested. However, so far, the differential susceptibility hypothesis has mostly been studied with a focus on externalizing disorders. On the other hand, parenting may shape the child’s temperament and vice versa in a transactional process. In a prospective, longitudinal at-risk sample (163 boys, 176 girls), we assessed emotional (easy–difficult) and regulative (self-control) temperament at ages 4.5, and 8 years, respectively, as well as parenting quality at age 4.5 years using the HOME inventory. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to investigate the prediction of depressive symptoms at age 11, measured by the Child Depression Inventory, including interaction terms between the temperament variable and parenting. We additionally tested whether parenting was mediated by child temperament. As previously reported, both self-control and parenting were longitudinally associated with preadolescent depressive symptoms. There were no interactive effects between temperament and parenting. However, the effects of parenting were partly mediated by self-control. Our data do not support a differential susceptibility of temperamental variants in the development of preadolescent depression. However, our results are in line with the assumption that parenting may shape young children’s temperament, with positive parenting in the early childhood fostering the development of regulative temperament.
One of the most intriguing facets of Saturn's rings are the sharp edges of gaps in the rings where the surface density abruptly drops to zero. This is despite of the fact that the range over which a moon transfers angular momentum onto the ring material is much larger. Recent UVIS-scans of the edges of the Encke and Keeler gap show that this drop occurs over a range approximately equal to the rings' thickness. Borderies et al. show that this striking feature is likely related to the local reversal of the usually outward directed viscous transport of angular momentum in strongly perturbed regions. In this article we revise the Borderies et al. model using a granular flow model to define the shear and bulk viscosities, ν and ζ, and incorporate the angular momentum flux reversal effect into the axisymmetric diffusion model we developed for gaps in dense planetary rings. Finally, we apply our model to the Encke and Keeler division in order to estimate the shear and bulk viscosities in the vicinity of both gaps
Tree species diversity can positively affect the multifunctionality of forests. This is why conifer monocultures of Scots pine and Norway spruce, widely promoted in Central Europe since the 18th and 19th century, are currently converted into mixed stands with naturally dominant European beech. Biodiversity is expected to benefit from these mixtures compared to pure conifer stands due to increased abiotic and biotic resource heterogeneity. Evidence for this assumption is, however, largely lacking. Here, we investigated the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens at the plot (alpha diversity) and at the landscape (gamma diversity) level in pure and mixed stands of European beech and conifer species (Scots pine, Norway spruce, Douglas fir) in four regions in Germany. We aimed to identify compositions of pure and mixed stands in a hypothetical forest landscape that can optimize gamma diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens within regions. Results show that gamma diversity of the investigated groups is highest when a landscape comprises different pure stands rather than tree species mixtures at the stand scale. Species mainly associated with conifers rely on light regimes that are only provided in pure conifer forests, whereas mixtures of beech and conifers are more similar to beech stands. Combining pure beech and pure conifer stands at the landscape scale can increase landscape level biodiversity and conserve species assemblages of both stand types, while landscapes solely composed of stand scale tree species mixtures could lead to a biodiversity reduction of a combination of investigated groups of 7 up to 20%.
Whereas ecosystem service research is increasingly being promoted in science and policy, the utilisation of ecosystem services knowledge remains largely underexplored for regional ecosystem management. To overcome the mere generation of knowledge and contribute to decision-making, scientists are facing the challenge of articulating specific implications of the ecosystem service approach for practical land use management. In this contribution, we compare the results of participatory mapping of ecosystem services with the existing management plan for the Pentland Hills Regional Park (Scotland, UK) to inform its future management plan. By conducting participatory mapping in a workshop with key stakeholders (n = 20), we identify hotspots of ecosystem services and the landscape features underpinning such hotspots. We then analyse to what extent these landscape features are the focus of the current management plan. We found a clear mismatch between the key landscape features underpinning the provision of ecosystem services and the management strategy suggested. Our findings allow for a better understanding of the required focus of future land use management to account for ecosystem services.
Effects of achievement differences for internal/external frame of reference model investigations
(2018)
Background
Achievement in math and achievement in verbal school subjects are more strongly correlated than the respective academic self-concepts. The internal/external frame of reference model (I/E model; Marsh, 1986, Am. Educ. Res. J., 23, 129) explains this finding by social and dimensional comparison processes. We investigated a key assumption of the model that dimensional comparisons mainly depend on the difference in achievement between subjects. We compared correlations between subject-specific self-concepts of groups of elementary and secondary school students with or without achievement differences in the respective subjects.
Aims
The main goals were (1) to show that effects of dimensional comparisons depend to a large degree on the existence of achievement differences between subjects, (2) to demonstrate the generalizability of findings over different grade levels and self-concept scales, and (3) to test a rarely used correlation comparison approach (CCA) for the investigation of I/E model assumptions.
Samples
We analysed eight German elementary and secondary school student samples (grades 3–8) from three independent studies (Ns 326–878).
Method
Correlations between math and German self-concepts of students with identical grades in the respective subjects were compared with the correlation of self-concepts of students having different grades using Fisher's Z test for independent samples.
Results
In all samples, correlations between math self-concept and German self-concept were higher for students having identical grades than for students having different grades. Differences in median correlations had small effect sizes for elementary school students and moderate effect sizes for secondary school students.
Conclusions
Findings generalized over grades and indicated a developmental aspect in self-concept formation. The CCA complements investigations within I/E-research.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) both are rare genetic neuromuscular diseases with progressive loss of motor ability. The neuromotor developmental course of those diseases is well documented. In contrast, there is only little evidence about characteristics of general and specific cognitive development. In both conditions the final motor outcome is characterized by an inability to move autonomously: children with SMA never accomplish independent motoric exploration of their environment, while children with DMD do but later lose this ability again. These profound differences in developmental pathways might affect cognitive development of SMA vs. DMD children, as cognition is shaped by individual motor experiences. DMD patients show impaired executive functions, working memory, and verbal IQ, whereas only motor ability seems to be impaired in SMA. Advanced cognitive capacity in SMA may serve as a compensatory mechanism for achieving in education, career progression, and social satisfaction. This study aimed to relate differences in basic numerical concepts and arithmetic achievement in SMA and DMD patients to differences in their motor development and resulting sensorimotor and environmental experiences. Horizontal and vertical spatial-numerical associations were explored in SMA/DMD children ranging between 6 and 12 years through the random number generation task. Furthermore, arithmetic skills as well as general cognitive ability were assessed. Groups differed in spatial number processing as well as in arithmetic and domain-general cognitive functions. Children with SMA showed no horizontal and even reversed vertical spatial-numerical associations. Children with DMD on the other hand revealed patterns in spatial numerical associations comparable to healthy developing children. From the embodied Cognition perspective, early sensorimotor experience does play a role in development of mental number representations. However, it remains open whether and how this becomes relevant for the acquisition of higher order cognitive and arithmetic skills.
ortho-Aryl phenols, synthesized via protecting group free Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of ortho-halophenols and arene boronic acids, undergo a cyclization to dibenzofurans via oxidative C-H activation. The reaction proceeds under microwave irradiation in short reaction times using catalytic amounts of Pd(OAc)(2) without additional ligands.
The electrochemical conversion of low-cost precursors into high-value chemicals using renewably generated electricity is a promising approach to build up an environmentally friendly energy cycle, including a storage element. The large-scale implementation of such process can, however, only be realized by the design of cost-effective electrocatalysts with high efficiency and highest stability. Here, we report the synthesis of N and B codoped porous carbons. The constructed B-N motives combine abundant unpaired electrons and frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). They result in desirable performance for electrochemical N-2 reduction reaction (NRR) and electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in the absence of any metal cocatalyst. A maximum Faradaic efficiency of 15.2% with a stable NH3 production rate of 21.3 mu g h(-1) mg(-1) is obtained in NRR. Besides, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is first obtained by using non-metalbased electrocatalysts at a conversion of 71% and with yield of 57%. Gas adsorption experiments elucidate the relationship between the structure and the ability of the catalysts to activate the substrate molecules. This work opens up deep insights for the rational design of non-metal-based catalysts for potential electrocatalytic applications and the possible enhancement of their activity by the introduction of FLPs and point defects at grain boundaries.
Familiäre Determinanten seelischer Gesundheit und Krankheit im Generations- und Ost-West-Vergleich.
(1997)
Previous research examining gene-environment interaction (G x E) with regard to vulnerability to depression and anxiety has yielded conflicting results. The present study was designed to further investigate G x F between 5-HTTLPR and exposure to environmental adversity, using different phenotypic and genotypic characterizations as well as different types of adversity within a prospective study design. Data were available from an ongoing epidemiological cohort Study following the outcome of early risk factors from birth to adulthood. At age 19 yr, 309 participants (142 males, 167 females) were characterized on measures of depression and anxiety through interview and questionnaire (DSM-IV diagnosis, Beck Depression Inventory, Harm Avoidance). Environmental adversity was assessed at birth (family adversity), and at age 19 yr (stressful life events). Bi- and tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR genotypes were obtained from genomic DNA. Results indicated that depression and anxiety in 19-yr-olds were strongly associated with both family adversity and stressful life events. Individuals with the LL genotype of 5-HTTLPR who were exposed to high family adversity displayed significantly higher rates of depressive or anxiety disorders and had more depressive symptoms than those without either condition. This G x E replicates recent findings from an epidemiological cohort study of adolescents but is in contrast to many previous reports suggesting an interaction with the S allele. No evidence for G x E was obtained with regard to current stressful life events and trait anxiety. One possible source for the conflicting findings might be attributed to heterogeneity in depression phenotypes and environmental adversity.
Background: Evidence from animal studies supports a role for serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) gene-environment interaction (G X E) in the development of excessive alcohol intake. Few studies in humans have been conducted on this topic, yielding inconsistent results. The present study aims to further explore G x E between 5-HTTLPR and exposure to psychosocial adversity on alcohol consumption in a high-risk community sample of young adults. Methods: Data were collected as part of the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing epidemiological cohort study following the outcome of early risk factors from birth into young adulthood. At age 19 years, 309 participants (142 male participants, 167 female participants) were genotyped for the biallelic and triallelic 5-HTTLPR and were administered a 45-day alcohol timeline follow-back interview, providing measures of the total number of drinks and the number of binge drinking days. Psychosocial adversity was assessed at birth (family adversity) and at age 19 (negative life events). Results: In contrast to various previous reports, a significant G x E emerged, indicating that, when exposed to high psychosocial adversity, individuals with the LL genotype of 5-HTTLPR exhibited more hazardous drinking than those carrying the S allele or those without exposure to adversity. This effect, which was confined to male participants, held both for different classifications of 5-HTTLPR and different types of adversity. Conclusions: One explanation for the discrepant results might be heterogeneity in alcohol phenotypes. While the L allele relates more strongly to early-onset alcoholism, the S allele may be linked more closely to alcohol use associated with anxiety and depression.
Die Entwicklung von Kindern, die in ihrer frühen Kindheit erhöhten Belastungen ausgesetzt waren, zeichnet sich durch eine grosse Variabilität aus. Welche Kinder besonders gefährdet sind und welchen es gelingt, Entwicklungsrisiken zu überwinden, wird anhand von Daten der Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie aufgezeigt. Dabei handelt es sich um eine prospektive Längsschnittstudie an einer Kohorte von 362 Kindern, die in ihrer Entwicklung von der Geburt bis ins Schulalter begleitet werden. Die Ergebnisse bis zum Alter von acht Jahren machen deutlich, dass die Entwicklungsprognose von sehr kleinen Frühgeborenen und von Kindern postnatal depressiver Mütter davon abhängt, wie die frühe Beziehung zwischen Mutter und Risikokind gelingt. Sie unterstreichen damit die besondere Bedeutung der frühen Mutter-Kind-Interaktion in der Entwicklung von Risikokindern.
Objective: Despite theoretical discrepancies between different concepts of temperament, some core dimensions are thought to be common to the various models. We compared temperamental traits derived from the New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) model and the Cloninger dimensions in the developmental course and investigated the associations of temperament with sex as well as with obstetric risks or psychosocial risks present at birth. - Methods: Participants were 151 boys and 157 girls born at differing degrees of obstetric and psychosocial risk from a longitudinal study on a high-risk community sample. In infancy and childhood, NYLS-derived temperamental characteristics were assessed by a highly structured parent interview and standardized behavioral observations. At age 15 years, the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory/1218 was administered. - Results: Moderate correlations were found between Junior Temperament and Character Inventory scales in adolescence and NYLS-derived factors in childhood. The psychosocial risk load seemed to influence the expression of novelty seeking or corresponding NYLS-derived factors, whereas the obstetric risks did not contribute to variation in temperament. Our findings further support highly sex-specific gene x environment interactions on temperament in the developmental course. - Conclusion: The content of our NYLS-derived factors and the specific type of association across different temperament constructs fit into the increasing consensus regarding a small number of higher-order temperamental traits. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objectives: The prospective longitudinal Mannheim Study of Children at Risk followed the development of children from the age of 2 years up to the age of 8 years. Are there differences between the developmental risk load in toddlers (psychopathology, cognition, motor or neurological development. and educational differences) who suffer from a hyperactive disorder at age 8 and that of undisturbed children of the same age? Are there specific harbingers of hyperkinetic disorders for the group concerned? Methods: In terms of their developmental risk load at the age of 2 years, 26 primary school children with hyperkinetic disorders were compared to 241 healthy primary school children, as well as to 25 children of the same age with emotional disturbances and 30 children of the same age with socially disruptive behavior. Results: A significant combination of predictors of later hyperkinetic disorders at primary school age proved to be increased fidgetiness and irritability, as well as a reduced language comprehension, at the age of two. Conclusions: The predictive value of symptoms in early childhood for later hyperkinetic disorder in children of primaryschool age is higher than that of symptoms assessed in infancy, which although expected is without relevant specificity.
Objectives: Are there any differences (organic, psychosocial, psychopathological, cognitive or educational, respectively differences in the motor or neurological development) between infants who later on at the age of 8 years suffer from a hyperactive disorder and those who later on at the same age are undisturbed? Are there specific harbingers for hyperactive disorders in the group concerned? Methods: With regard to their developmental risk load at the age of 3 months, 26 primary school children with hyperactive disorders were compared with 241 healthy children, 25 children with emotional disturbances, and 30 children with socially disruptive behaviour, all of the same age. Results: Identified as the most important predictors for the onset of hyperactive disorders were a reduced birth weight, the mother's origin from a shattered family, early contact impairments on the part of the child, and the mother's neglect of the infant. Conclusions: Altogether, however, the prediction of later hyperactivity in primary school children on the basis of salient features in the infant children remains unsatisfactory and unspecific.
Objective To demonstrate that children homozygous for the 10-repeat allele of the common dopamine transporter (DAT1) polymorphism who were exposed to maternal prenatal smoke exhibited significantly higher hyperactivity-impulsivity than children without these environmental or genetic risks. Study design We performed a prospective longitudinal study from birth into early adulthood monitoring the long-term outcome of early risk factors. Maternal prenatal smoking was determined during a standardized interview with the mother when the child was 3 months old. At age 15 years, 305 adolescents participated in genotyping for the DAT1 40 base pair variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism and assessment of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and oppositional defiant/conduct disorder symptoms with die Kiddie- Sads-Present and Lifetime Version. Results There was no bivariate association between DAT1 genotype, prenatal smoke exposure and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, a significant interaction between DAT1 genotype and prenatal smoke exposure emerged (P =.012), indicating that males with prenatal smoke exposure who were homozygous for the DAT1 10r allele had higher hyperactivity-impulsivity than males from all other groups. In females, no significant main effects of DAT1 genotype or prenatal smoke exposure or interaction effects on any symptoms were evident (all P >.25). Conclusions This study provides further evidence for the multifactorial nature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the importance of studying both genetic and environmental factors and their interaction.
Secretion in blowfly (Calliphora vicina) salivary glands is regulated by the neurohormone serotonin (5-HT), which activates the InsP(3)/Ca2+ pathway and the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway in the secretory cells. The latter signaling cascade induces the activation of a vacuolar H+-ATPase on the apical membrane. Here, we have determined the distribution of PKA by using antibodies against the PKA regulatory subunit-II (PKA-RII) and the PKA catalytic subunit (PKA-C) of Drosophila. PKA is present in high concentrations within the secretory cells. PKA-RII and PKA-C co-distribute in non-stimulated glands, being enriched in the basal portion of the secretory cells. Exposure to 8-CPT-cAMP or 5-HT induces the translocation of PKA-C to the apical membrane, whereas the PKA-RII distribution remains unchanged. The recruitment of PKA-C to the apical membrane corroborates our hypothesis that vacuolar H+-ATPase, which is enriched in this membrane domain, is a target protein for PKA.
User-friendly protocols for the protecting group-free synthesis of 2,2'-biphenols via Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of o-halophenols and o-boronophenol are presented. The reactions proceed in water in the presence of simple additives such as K2CO3, KOH, KF, or TBAF and with commercially available Pd/C as precatalyst. Expensive or laboriously synthesized ligands or other additives are not required. In the case of bromophenols, efficient rate acceleration and short reaction times were accomplished by microwave irradiation.
The present study aimed to clarify the functional role of genes in the dopamine and serotonin systems by examining whether polymorphisms in these genes are related to adolescent externalizing behavior either alone or in interaction with each other. Participants were selected from an ongoing prospective study of the outcome of early risk factors. At age 15 years, 298 adolescents (144 males, 154 females) completed the Youth Self Report, 296 primary caregivers the Child Behavior Checklist and 253 teachers the Teacher Report Form. DNA was genotyped for the DRD4 exon III VNTR and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms. Results revealed that individuals with the DRD4 7r allele reported significantly more externalizing behavior than carriers of other variants. In addition, a significant interaction emerged, indicating that adolescents carrying two copies of the 5-HTTLPR short allele and the DRD4 7r variant scored highest on aggressive and/or delinquent behavior compared to other genotypes. This result suggests an effect of 5-HTTLPR on externalizing behavior in the presence of DRD4 7r but no effect in its absence.
Aims: To investigate whether concurrent alcohol and tobacco use during early adolescence characterizes a subgroup that differs from users of one substance only regarding several risk factors for later substance use problems. Methods: Participants were from a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 384 children at risk for later psychopathology, with the majority being born with obstetric complications and psychosocial adversities. Assessments of adolescent drug consumption and related intrapersonal characteristics were obtained at age 15. Results: Compared to consumers of alcohol only, 15-year-olds drinking and smoking during the same time period (past 4 weeks) had significantly higher levels of consumption and more excessive use of alcohol, started drinking at an earlier age, had higher scores on the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, and more cannabis use. This group could be distinguished from users of alcohol only by higher novelty seeking and more positive alcohol effect expectancies. Compared to consumers of tobacco only, concurrent users reported higher nicotine dependence and more cannabis use. No significant differences were observed regarding frequency and age at initiation of tobacco use, tobacco-related sensitivity, self- efficacy and instrumentality as well as novelty seeking. Conclusions: Concurrent alcohol and tobacco use during early adolescence is associated with characteristics that are well known as risk factors for later alcohol use problems and dependence and that should be targeted by prevention programs.