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The development of visuo-spatial working memory.

Children's performance on tests of visuo-spatial working memory improves with age, although relatively little is known about why this happens. One explanation concerns the development of the ability to recode visually presented information into phonological form. This process appears to be used from around 8 years of age and is a major contributor to tasks in which stimuli can be verbally labelled. However, evidence suggests that phonological recoding cannot account for all of the age-related change in performance on visuo-spatial working memory tasks. In this review, four other mechanisms (knowledge, processing strategies, processing speed, and attentional capacity) are considered in terms of their contribution to children's visuo-spatial working memory development.

Child↗

Considerations for combination vaccine development and use in the developing world.

As more vaccines are developed and become available, combination vaccines will provide a way of delivering multiple antigens to avoid multiple injections and complications in the regular immunization schedules. The advantages of combination vaccines are that they decrease the discomfort of vaccine recipients and parents and also reduce the delivery cost of vaccines. We address some of the issues related to the use of combination vaccines in the developing world. Which vaccines are needed? Do developing countries have the appropriate infrastructure to deliver them? Can vaccines become affordable for countries with low incomes? And what is really needed to achieve the goal of providing developing countries with new vaccines of epidemiologic significance in a timely fashion?

Americas↗

Sustaining the development of primary care in academic medicine. Working Group on Sustaining the Development of Academic Primary Care. Association of American Medical Colleges.

This article is the report of the Working Group on Sustaining the Development of Academic Primary Care, one of the six subgroups of the Advisory Panel on the Mission and Organization of Medical Schools (APMOMS) sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). To begin, the group draws a distinction between primary care and generalism. Primary care is a core domain of health care and, in the context of emerging integrated systems, will increasingly be a multidisciplinary shared function. Non-subspecialized physicians, or "generalists," are a key element in the provision of primary care, but do not act alone. Core competencies for primary care are central to the education of all physicians. Therefore, irrespective of workforce goals for generalist physicians, primary care should have a strong, central position in the medical school so that graduates can receive a sound general medical education and can be prepared for any specialty and for lifelong learning in an evolving health care system. For primary care to achieve that position, medical schools must integrate primary care into their missions, strategic plans, operation, organization, academic administrative structures, curriculum development, faculty development (both school- and community-based), resource development, alliances with appropriate clinical services networks, financial policy, and evaluation and educational monitoring systems. The group briefly describes the elements of those changes and also proposes ways that the AAMC and medical school leaders could promote the central role of primary care in medical schools.

Curriculum↗

Developing elements of a learning organization in a metropolitan ambulance service: strategy, team development and continuous improvement.

First, presents a new model for developing a learning organization which is well within the grasp of today's organizations, since many of these already have the main components which provide the platform for this. Second, provides four measures of how an experiential workshop used to develop learning organization components may be evaluated. Despite huge international popularity for experiential workshops, effectiveness measurements are rarely used. Third, presents a case study of how to begin developing a learning organization through developing middle management in a metropolitan ambulance service.

Ambulances↗

Development of the pre-school child: the validation of a psychomotor screen, and the influence of the home environment on psychomotor development.

The present study was designed to validate and standardize a short psychomotor screening test on Australian four-year-old-preschool children and to assess their home environment using Caldwell's HOME Inventory. The Adelaide Psychomotor Screen (APS) is a short, 10-15 minute screening test which uses 13 separate items to assess "General" development, "Gross Motor" development, "Social/Emotional Behaviour" and "Speech". In the area of "General" development, 12 children screened as "abnormal" and 54 children screened as "normal" were further assessed by a psychologist on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. There was a high correlation between the APS "General" scores and the McCarthy (General Cognitive Index) scores (r = 0.75, p less than 0.001 for the younger children, and r = 0,90, p less than 0.001 for the older children). Caldwell's HOME Inventory takes an hour to complete, and involves a visit by the assessor to each home. The correlation between the HOME total scores and the McCarthy (General Cognitive Index) scores was r = 0.06, p less than 0.001. It is suggested that the HOME Inventory may be more valuable as a predictor of a child's future development than an index of his present developmental status. It is suggested that nurses and teachers used the APS as a screening test of the individual child, and use the HOME inventory as an assessment of the home environment.

Analysis of Variance↗

Expression of bone marrow stromal cell specific antigen during murine development: its expression in embryonic hematopoietic tissues as well as in other developing tissues.

Monoclonal antibody R4-A9 demonstrated specificity for a cell surface antigen of stromal cells in murine bone marrow and spleen. In order to identify patterns of expression that may elucidate the potential role of R4-A9 antigen, the developmental expression of this antigen in mouse embryos from 8 days post-coitum to 5 days post-partum was investigated by immunohistochemistry. At an early developmental stage, weak staining for R4-A9 antigen could be detected in the yolk sac. At later stages, strong staining of this antigen was detected predominantly in the embryonic liver, the main site of embryonic hematopoiesis. However, concomitant with the decreased staining in the liver, increased expression of this antigen was observed in bone marrow and spleen. Therefore, the changes in expression in those hematopoietic tissues suggest that its expression is coordinately regulated during the developmental stage of the sites of embryonic hematopoiesis. Compared with the distribution of R4-A9 antigen in adult tissues as previously reported, the expression of this antigen in fetal tissues was more widespread during the period of organogenesis, and was most abundant in other developing tissues, including the heart, skin, and lung. In contrast, fetal expression detected in hematopoietic and other developing tissues was lost after birth. These results taken together show a marked gradient of R4-A9 antigen expression, with the highest level at the peak of organ development, raising the possibility that this molecule may act as a growth/differentiation factor both in hematopoietic and other developing tissues in a fetus.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

Facial growth and development in unilateral cleft lip and palate during the period of puberty: comparison of the development after periosteoplasty and after primary bone grafting.

X-ray cephalometry was used in studies of facial growth and development carried out in 32 males with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. They underwent primary periosteoplasty and were examined at the ages of 10 and 15 years. The results were compared with the development of the face in a longitudinal study of 20 males with the same type of cleft who were operated with a primary bone graft. The series with periosteoplasty showed a more marked proclination of the upper dentoalveolar component with the restoration of a positive overjet, as compared to a persistent anterior crossbite in the males with bone grafts. The lower jaw showed a larger protrusion, while individuals with bone grafts were characterized at the ages of 10 and 15 years by a larger posterior rotation of the mandible. The growth of the maxilla did not differ between series. In both series, there was a marked reduction in the growth of maxillary depth and of upper lip height, while the highest growth rate showed parameters of nasal prominence. An increasing mandibular protrusion and maxillary retrusion resulted in an impairment of sagittal jaw relations and in the flattening of the face, both of which occurred in almost all patients. The rotation of the lower jaw was not correlated with either the convexity of the face, sagittal jaw relations, or an overjet. The independence of developmental changes of selected characteristics at their initial state documented the impossibility of predicting the development of the face on the basis of a single x-ray examination at a given stage of development. Fixed appliances promoted a more marked proclination of upper incisors and the alveolar process than removable appliances, but they exerted no direct action on the other facial parameters studied.

Adolescent↗

Development and quality of life: a critique of Amartya Sen's Development as freedom.

Presented here is a critical analysis of some of the major theses of Amartya Sen, as presented in his seminal work Development As Freedom. The author suggests that Sen's work, while representing a major break with the dominant neoliberal position reproduced in most national and international development agencies, is insufficient to explain the key relationship between freedom and development. The absence of an analysis of the power relations that cause and reproduce underdevelopment through national and international political institutions leaves Sen's work wanting. The author shows how Sen's interpretation of events and the conclusions derived from them, such as an explanation of famine in Bangladesh, are insufficient--when not faulty. The author also critically analyzes the United Nations Development Program reports, which, while documenting the nature and consequences of underdevelopment, barely touch on the political context in which underdevelopment occurs.

Communism↗

Psychosocial development and moral development: an exploratory comparison of adolescents in Japan and America.

Building on previous cross-cultural research, this exploratory study examined the comparative psychosocial and sociomoral development of 46 adolescents--22 Japanese in Japan, 10 Japanese in the United States, and 14 Euro-Americans in the United States. Euro-American participants obtained more positive scores than Japanese in the United States and Japanese in Japan on six psychosocial stages and the total psychosocial score as measured by the Measures of Psychosocial Development. Except in the Contract/Truth domain, all groups scored at a comparable level in sociomoral development as measured by the Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form. Results are discussed in terms of cultural differences affecting adolescent development with implications for research and professional practice.

Adolescent↗

Meeting the challenge of developing courses for distance delivery: two different models for course development.

Nursing education is increasingly challenged to convert traditional course offerings to distance delivery modalities to accommodate practicing RNs who wish to pursue continuing education. There is a lack of understanding regarding the experiences of faculty and staff from other departments within the university in the development of distance education courses. The purpose of this descriptive study was to uncover the experiences of nursing faculty and members of a university support unit involved in interdisciplinary development of distance delivery courses. Interviews were conducted with 11 participants. Two organizational models were identified. Other issues that emerged in the development of distance delivery courses were: faculty ownership of distance courses; workload implications for faculty; clinical practice by distance; and faculty expertise in new technologies. Implications for incorporating the challenges facing nursing faculty in the 21st century in the development of distance delivery courses are discussed.

Education, Distance↗

L-thyroxine, cortisol, and diet affect the postnatal development of the facial part of the skull in developing rats.

In rats, the effects of L-thyroxine (T4; 0.2 micrograms/g body weight), hydrocortisone (HC; 5 micrograms/g body weight) and mastication on the postnatal development of the facial part of the skull were examined. Administration of T4 and/or HC to rats for 5 consecutive days from day 5 after birth induced a precocious increase in the ratio of the facial length to the head length. The effects of these hormones decreased with the progression of weaning, and after the 20th postnatal day, the hormones had no effects on the postnatal development of either (facial and head) part of the skull. Moreover, these hormones played an additive role in the growth of facial part. On the other hand, continuous suckling from birth to the 30th postnatal day caused a significant decrease in the ratio of the facial length to the head length. These results suggest that increases in the circulating levels of T4 and HC in suckling rats and mastication in the weaning period are involved in development of the postnatal development of the facial part of the skull.

Aging↗

Progestogen-only contraceptives during lactation: II. Infant development. World Health Organization, Task Force for Epidemiological Research on Reproductive Health; Special Programme of Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction.

Growth, development and health of infants whose mothers used progestogen-only contraceptives during lactation were examined in a prospective, non-randomized study that was carried out in seven centres in five countries (Egypt, Thailand, Kenya, Chile and Hungary). The results on development are reported here. Breastfeeding women requesting effective contraception were admitted to the study at six weeks postpartum. Infants of acceptors of progestogen-only methods (pill, DMPA, NET-EN or NORPLANT implants) and non-hormonal methods (IUD, barrier methods or sterilization) formed the study groups. The follow-up was at monthly intervals until the end of the first postpartum year. At each visit, the infant examination included, among other things, a set of developmental tests covering the following areas: gross motor, vision and fine motor, hearing, language and concept development, and self help and social skills. Participating in the study were 2466 mother-infant pairs. The comparisons between the study groups were carried out within centres using life table methods and Cox-model analysis having the time to first passing the test as the criterion. There were altogether 247 comparisons between the study groups. Thirty-two (13%) of these comparisons showed statistically significant differences: 20 differences showed that the infants in the progestogen-only groups passed the tests at an earlier age and 12 at a later age than infants in the non-hormonal groups. Since no consistent trends were observed across the centres, we conclude that in this study the progestogen-only contraceptives used during lactation did not adversely affect infant development.

Adolescent↗

Development of the orangutan permanent dentition: assessing patterns and variation in tooth development.

This study examines dental formation and alveolar emergence in a large cross-sectional sample composed primarily of wild-reared orangutans (N = 89) in order to provide information on the development of the permanent dentition in this hominoid and to address questions of variation in individual tooth formation, between teeth and between individuals. All specimens have been radiographed in lateral aspect and stages of crown and root formation recorded for all teeth. The ranges of crown and root formation of I1(1), C1(1), P4(4), M2(2), and M3(3) have been calculated relative to the stage of M1(1) development within a specific tooth quadrant. Then, for each specimen, BMDP scatterplot and nonparametric statistics have been used to graph changes in stages of these teeth relative to M1(1) stages and to examine relationships between pairs of upper and lower dental counterparts and between teeth of each jaw. Results indicate 1) high correlations between upper and lower tooth pairs and between many of the permanent teeth within individuals, 2) a relatively large range of variability in individual tooth development (multistage ranges relative to M1(1)), 3) greater variation in root development at emergence than earlier reports, and 4) evidence of variability within the sequence emergence pattern of the orangutan.

Animals↗

Gonadal development and plasma steroid levels during pubertal development in captive-reared striped bass, Morone saxatilis.

Puberty is the period during which full sexual development occurs and the capacity to reproduce is acquired. Despite its importance, our understanding of the endocrine regulation of puberty in lower vertebrates is still limited. The objective of the present study was to describe the changes in gonadal development and plasma steroid levels in a relatively late maturing species, the striped bass, during the first four years of life. In about 65% of the females, puberty was initiated during the third year. Although gonadosomatic index (GSI) and oocyte diameter increased during this year, this first cycle was characterized by a heterogeneous population of developing oocytes, a relatively low mean maximum oocyte diameter, and an absence of yolk granules in the oocytes. Plasma 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) levels were low in all three-year-old fish, suggesting that an insufficient stimulation of vitellogenin production by E(2) may underlie the lack of vitellogenin incorporation into developing oocytes. All monitored parameters increased during the fourth year, but were still below the values attained by older females. In about 60% of the males, puberty was initiated during the first year and all males were mature by the third year. During the first two years, several immature males initiated spermatogenesis without reaching full maturity. In mature males, mean GSI, plasma testosterone, and 11-ketotestosterone levels increased simultaneously, reaching higher values each subsequent year. Our results indicate that, similar to the situation in mammals, more than one reproductive cycle is required in striped bass before complete adulthood is reached.

Animals↗

Development of species identification in ducklings. XIII: A comparison of malleable and critical periods of perceptual development.

The present experiments sought to determine the relationship of the malleable period--when the mallard duck embryo is most susceptible to alien forms of maternal auditory stimulation--to the critical period, when the embryo must hear its own vocalizations in order to respond normally to the species-typical maternal call after hatching. It was found that a preference for either a wood duck or a chicken maternal call could be induced in devocalized mallard duck embryos by exposing them to either alien call some time between day 24, 0600 to day 26, 0600 hrs. Further experiments showed the height of the malleable period to be between day 24, 1400 hrs and day 25, 0800 hrs of embryonic development. Since the embryonic critical period for maintenance of the species-typical maternal auditory preference spans day 24, 0800 hrs to day 26, 0800 hrs, the malleable period for the induction of a preference for species-atypical maternal stimulation falls inside the critical period. While it is often assumed that malleable and critical periods overlap, this is the first behavioral study to actually demonstrate the temporal relationship of the two periods. It would seem important to further examine malleable and critical periods of development in a broader array of developmental contexts and species to determine whether malleable periods for atypical or abnormal development and critical periods for species-typical or normal development always coincide.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Natural killing and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in specific-pathogen-free miniature swine and germ-free piglets. II. Ontogenic development development of NK and ADCC.

The ontogenic development of natural killing (NK) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in germ-free and specific-pathogen-fee (SPF) miniature swine were compared. Activities of NK and ADCC were tested by a short-term (2.5 to 4 h) 51Cr-labelled human myeloid cell line K562 and TNP-conjugated human B-cell line SB as target cells for NK and ADCC, respectively. Animals obtained by aseptic hysterectomy 3-5 days prior to term showed ADCC activities similar to adult levels but lacked NK activity. Hysterectomy-derived piglets which were colostrum-deprived and maintained in germ-free isolators developed NK activity at 3-4 weeks of age. In comparison, naturally-farrowed, colostrum-fed piglets maintained in our SPF facility developed NK activity at 2-3 weeks of age. Thereafter, there was no significant difference in the levels of either NK or ADCC between germ-free and SPF animals. This suggests that microbial flora and environment do not affect the development of effector cells for ADCC but do play some role in the maturation of NK cells during ontogeny. The difference in ontogeny of NK an ADCC further support our previous suggestion that the effector cells for NK and ADCC in swine are distinct sub-populations.

Animals↗

Distribution and expression of two interactive extracellular matrix proteins, cytotactin and cytotactin-binding proteoglycan, during development of Xenopus laevis. I. Embryonic development.

An immunohistochemical study of the localization of cytotactin and cytotactin-binding (CTB) proteoglycan throughout embryonic development of the anuran Xenopus laevis reveals that both appear in a restricted pattern related to specific morphogenetic events. CTB proteoglycan expression is first detected during gastrulation at the blastopore lip. Later, it is seen in the archenteron roof around groups of cells forming the notochord, somites and neural plate. Cytotactin first appears after neurulation, and is restricted to the intersomitic regions. Both molecules appear along the migratory pathways of neural crest cells in the trunk and tail. Later, cytotactin is present at sites where neural crest cells differentiate, around the aorta and in the smooth muscle coat of the gut; CTB proteoglycan is absent from these sites. In the head, cytotactin is initially restricted to the regions between cranial somites, while CTB proteoglycan is distributed throughout the cranial mesenchyme. The expression of both molecules is later associated with key events in chondrogenesis during the development of the skull. After chondrogenesis, CTB proteoglycan is distributed throughout the cartilage matrix, while cytotactin is restricted to a thin perichondrial deposit. Both molecules are expressed in developing brain. These findings are compared to studies of the chick embryo and although distinct anatomical differences exist between frog and chick, the expression of these molecules is associated with similar developmental processes in both species. These include mesoderm segmentation, neural crest cell migration and differentiation, cartilage development, and central nervous system histogenesis.

Animals↗

Developing rod photoreceptors from normal and mutant Rd mouse retinas: altered fatty acid composition early in development of the mutant.

The phospholipid and fatty acid contents of developing rod photoreceptor cells were determined in dissociated photoreceptor cells obtained from normal mice and from rd mice exhibiting an inherited retinal degeneration. Photoreceptors were dissociated from retinas by mechanical agitation after mild protease treatment and characterized by light and electron microscopy. Phospholipid classes were isolated by thin-layer chromatography, and fatty acyl groups separated and quantitated by capillary gas-liquid chromatography. Developing photoreceptor cells of normal retinas accumulated all phospholipid classes, but in proportions which shifted with age. The mole % contents of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) decreased with age, whereas phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) increased. The content of the polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoate (22:6), expressed as nmol/microgram lipid phosphorus, increased rapidly during development, whereas arachidonate (20:4) content tended to decline. Mono-unsaturated fatty acid levels (palmitoleate, 16:1; oleate, 18:1) declined with age. Among saturated fatty acids, palmitate (16:0) decreased during normal development, whereas stearate (18:0) increased. The total mass of phospholipid/photoreceptor cell in the normal, adult mouse retina was estimated to be approximately 14 pg. The total phospholipid content and mole % distribution of individual phospholipid classes in immature rd photoreceptors were similar to values for normal cells. In contrast, significant changes in fatty acid composition were detected between immature rd cells and normal cells. Rd cells generally had higher levels of saturated (myristate, 14:0; palmitate, 16:0) and monounsaturated fatty acids (oleate, 18:1) and lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (arachidonate, 20:4; docosahexaenoate, 22:6), suggesting that fatty acid metabolism is altered by expression of the rd gene and/or by the associated impairment of photoreceptor cell differentiation.

Animals↗