Contact: Sara LaJeunesse SDL13@psu.edu 814-863-4325 Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Not all aggressive children are aggressive for the same reasons, according to Penn State researchers, who found that some kindergartners who are aggressive show low verbal abilities while others are more easily physiologically aroused. The findings suggest that different types of treatments may be needed to help kids with different underlying causes for problem behavior.
"Aggressive responses to being frustrated are a normal part of early childhood, but children are increasingly expected to manage their emotions and control their behavior when they enter school," said Lisa Gatzke-Kopp, assistant professor of human development and family studies. "Kids who don't do this well, who hit their classmates when they are frustrated or cause other types of disturbances in the classroom, are at especially high risk for long-term consequences including delinquency, violence, dropping out of school, abusing substances and even suicide. Research tells us that the earlier we can intervene, the better the chances of getting these children back on track."
Gatzke-Kopp and her colleagues, who include Mark Greenberg, professor of human development and family studies and of psychology, asked each of the kindergarten teachers in all 10 of the elementary schools in Pennsylvania's Harrisburg School District to rate the aggressive behaviors of their students on a six-point scale with items such as "gets in many fights" and "cruelty, bullying or meanness to others." Using these data, the team recruited a group of high-risk children (207 children) and a group of low-risk children (132 children) to undergo a range of neurobiological measures aimed at understanding how aggressive children experience and manage emotions differently than their non-aggressive classmates.
The team assessed all of the children's cognitive and academic skills using standardized tests that identified the children's developmental level of vocabulary, spatial reasoning and memory. In addition, the team asked teachers to provide ratings of each child's behaviors, including their levels of aggression, disobedience and sadness, as well as their social skills and level of self-control in the classroom.
The researchers also assessed the children's brain functioning using a mobile research laboratory they brought to the schools. Within the mobile lab, the team measured the children's heart rate and skin conductance activity during tasks designed to elicit emotional responses, including showing the children short video clips of a cartoon character in a variety of situations depicting fear, sadness, happiness and anger. The researchers wanted to understand how emotional and physical arousal to different types of emotions differed between children who engage in aggressive behavior and children who don't engage in aggressive behavior, as well as how different children who engage in aggressive behavior react.
According to Gatzke-Kopp, the assessments enabled the researchers to understand how cognitive and emotional processing may contribute to the development of aggressive tendencies. Specifically, the team found that 90 percent of the aggressive kids in the study could be characterized as either low in verbal ability or more easily physiologically aroused. The results appeared in a recent issue of Development and Psychopathology.
"What we may be seeing is that there are at least two different routes through which a child may act aggressively," Gatzke-Kopp said. "Because these are very different processes, these children may need different approaches to changing their behavior."
The first group of kids was characterized by lower verbal ability, lower levels of cognitive functioning and fewer executive function skills.
According to Gatzke-Kopp, children need verbal skills to understand the feelings of others and guidance from adults, and to express feelings without hitting. They also need adequate cognitive and executive-function abilities to manipulate information and to think of alternatives to hitting and fighting.
"This group of kids may be functioning at a cognitive level that is more akin to a preschooler than a kindergartner," Gatzke-Kopp said. "They have a harder time extracting what other people are feeling. They don't have a nuanced sense of emotions; everything is either happy or sad to them. So they might not be as good at recognizing how their behavior is making another child feel. They may literally have a hard time 'using their words,' so hitting becomes an easier solution when they are frustrated."
The second group of kids had good verbal and cognitive functioning, but they were more physiologically aroused. They were more emotionally reactive, and tended to have more stressors in their lives.
"These children may be able to tell you that if somebody pushed them on the playground they would go get a teacher, but the push happens and they kind of lose it and it doesn't matter what they should do, they just act on impulse," Greenberg said. "One possibility is that the threshold for managing frustration is quite low for these kids. So what we might consider a minor annoyance to them is a major threat. When they are calm they function very well, but when they lose control of their emotions, they can't control their behavior."
In the future, the team plans to examine how these different types of children respond to an intervention delivered over the second half of kindergarten and the first half of first grade.
###
The Pennsylvania Department of Health funded this research. Other authors of the paper include Christine Fortunato, postdoctoral fellow, and Michael Coccia, statistical consultant, both in the Penn State Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.
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Contact: Sara LaJeunesse SDL13@psu.edu 814-863-4325 Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Not all aggressive children are aggressive for the same reasons, according to Penn State researchers, who found that some kindergartners who are aggressive show low verbal abilities while others are more easily physiologically aroused. The findings suggest that different types of treatments may be needed to help kids with different underlying causes for problem behavior.
"Aggressive responses to being frustrated are a normal part of early childhood, but children are increasingly expected to manage their emotions and control their behavior when they enter school," said Lisa Gatzke-Kopp, assistant professor of human development and family studies. "Kids who don't do this well, who hit their classmates when they are frustrated or cause other types of disturbances in the classroom, are at especially high risk for long-term consequences including delinquency, violence, dropping out of school, abusing substances and even suicide. Research tells us that the earlier we can intervene, the better the chances of getting these children back on track."
Gatzke-Kopp and her colleagues, who include Mark Greenberg, professor of human development and family studies and of psychology, asked each of the kindergarten teachers in all 10 of the elementary schools in Pennsylvania's Harrisburg School District to rate the aggressive behaviors of their students on a six-point scale with items such as "gets in many fights" and "cruelty, bullying or meanness to others." Using these data, the team recruited a group of high-risk children (207 children) and a group of low-risk children (132 children) to undergo a range of neurobiological measures aimed at understanding how aggressive children experience and manage emotions differently than their non-aggressive classmates.
The team assessed all of the children's cognitive and academic skills using standardized tests that identified the children's developmental level of vocabulary, spatial reasoning and memory. In addition, the team asked teachers to provide ratings of each child's behaviors, including their levels of aggression, disobedience and sadness, as well as their social skills and level of self-control in the classroom.
The researchers also assessed the children's brain functioning using a mobile research laboratory they brought to the schools. Within the mobile lab, the team measured the children's heart rate and skin conductance activity during tasks designed to elicit emotional responses, including showing the children short video clips of a cartoon character in a variety of situations depicting fear, sadness, happiness and anger. The researchers wanted to understand how emotional and physical arousal to different types of emotions differed between children who engage in aggressive behavior and children who don't engage in aggressive behavior, as well as how different children who engage in aggressive behavior react.
According to Gatzke-Kopp, the assessments enabled the researchers to understand how cognitive and emotional processing may contribute to the development of aggressive tendencies. Specifically, the team found that 90 percent of the aggressive kids in the study could be characterized as either low in verbal ability or more easily physiologically aroused. The results appeared in a recent issue of Development and Psychopathology.
"What we may be seeing is that there are at least two different routes through which a child may act aggressively," Gatzke-Kopp said. "Because these are very different processes, these children may need different approaches to changing their behavior."
The first group of kids was characterized by lower verbal ability, lower levels of cognitive functioning and fewer executive function skills.
According to Gatzke-Kopp, children need verbal skills to understand the feelings of others and guidance from adults, and to express feelings without hitting. They also need adequate cognitive and executive-function abilities to manipulate information and to think of alternatives to hitting and fighting.
"This group of kids may be functioning at a cognitive level that is more akin to a preschooler than a kindergartner," Gatzke-Kopp said. "They have a harder time extracting what other people are feeling. They don't have a nuanced sense of emotions; everything is either happy or sad to them. So they might not be as good at recognizing how their behavior is making another child feel. They may literally have a hard time 'using their words,' so hitting becomes an easier solution when they are frustrated."
The second group of kids had good verbal and cognitive functioning, but they were more physiologically aroused. They were more emotionally reactive, and tended to have more stressors in their lives.
"These children may be able to tell you that if somebody pushed them on the playground they would go get a teacher, but the push happens and they kind of lose it and it doesn't matter what they should do, they just act on impulse," Greenberg said. "One possibility is that the threshold for managing frustration is quite low for these kids. So what we might consider a minor annoyance to them is a major threat. When they are calm they function very well, but when they lose control of their emotions, they can't control their behavior."
In the future, the team plans to examine how these different types of children respond to an intervention delivered over the second half of kindergarten and the first half of first grade.
###
The Pennsylvania Department of Health funded this research. Other authors of the paper include Christine Fortunato, postdoctoral fellow, and Michael Coccia, statistical consultant, both in the Penn State Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NEW YORK (AP) - David Wright's record-breaking hit was a little dribbler toward third base, ugly enough to prompt plenty of ribbing from his New York Mets teammates.
"I don't think he really wanted that particular hit to be the one played over and over again," pitcher Jeremy Hefner said, drawing laughs.
Wright set the franchise record for hits and Hefner bounced back from a horrendous start in a 6-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night that eliminated the Pirates from playoff contention.
Ruben Tejada tied a career high with four hits, including two RBI singles, and Scott Hairston doubled home a run as the Mets took advantage of some shoddy Pittsburgh defense to win for the fifth time in six games.
"Obviously, it's humbling," Wright said. "A little more exciting - we won today."
Jeff Locke (0-3) was chased in the fourth inning and is still searching for his first major league win after nine starts. The loss left Pittsburgh 7 1/2 games behind St. Louis, with seven to play, in the race for the second NL wild card.
Tied for the NL Central lead a week after the All-Star game, the Pirates have faded quickly in the second half for the second consecutive year. They have dropped 19 of 25 and must go 5-2 the rest of the way to avoid a 20th straight losing season.
Earlier on Wednesday, club president Frank Coonelly said manager Clint Hurdle and GM Neal Huntington will be back next season.
"Support's always good, absolutely," Hurdle said.
Wright reached on an infield single during a four-run third for his 1,419th hit, snapping a tie with Ed Kranepool atop the team's career list.
"I got a chance to show off my blazing speed," Wright said. "Ten years from now, when I'm telling my kids, it's going to be a line drive. It's going to be a little different. But I'll take it. A hit's a hit, and just really excited I could do it at home. The fans were great to me."
The slugger pulled into second base thanks to a throwing error on the play and his achievement was shown on the Citi Field scoreboard. The Mets played a few of Wright's highlights on the big video board, including his first major league hit. He received a warm ovation and quickly waved twice to the skimpy crowd of 22,890 before flashing a wide smile toward the New York dugout.
After the game, Wright's television interview on the field was played throughout the ballpark so the crowd could hear it.
"To be able to do it here at home was extra special," he said.
A six-time All-Star, Wright accomplished the feat in 1,256 games from 2004-12. Kranepool played in 1,853 games from 1962-79.
"It's remarkable," said Mets manager Terry Collins, who had Wright autograph a ball for him. "It's a testament to his work ethic."
Kranepool and Wright posed for pictures together during batting practice.
"Eddie came and saw me before the game, wished me luck and just kind of reiterated the fact he's happy for me and excited for me, and that meant a lot to me," Wright said.
Mets fans get another chance to possibly enjoy a nice moment when knuckleballer R.A. Dickey tries for his 20th win Thursday afternoon against Pittsburgh in New York's home finale.
Hefner (3-7) faced seven batters without recording an out in his previous start, a 16-1 loss to Philadelphia last Thursday. This time, he was on top of his game.
The rookie right-hander allowed only three harmless singles, two to former New York City prep star Pedro Alvarez, over seven outstanding innings. Hefner matched a career high with seven strikeouts and walked just one. He also dropped down two sacrifice bunts that led to runs.
"Everybody in this room was here for his last start, saw his emotions, and saw that he was upset. He had something to prove tonight - that he can pitch here," Collins said. "I believe he showed everybody he belongs here. I was very, very happy for him."
Jeurys Familia finished up with two hitless innings.
In addition to his record-breaking hit, Wright lined a clean single to center in the fourth. Daniel Murphy and Kelly Shoppach each had an RBI single. Andres Torres had three of New York's 14 hits and scored twice.
Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, chasing the NL batting title, went 0 for 4. But he was happy to hear that Hurdle and Huntington will be back next season.
"Yeah, I suppose that's nice," McCutchen said. "Glad they're coming back. Don't have to worry about anybody going anywhere. So, I guess that's always a plus."
NOTES: Dickey's start was moved up a day so he could pitch at home. The last 20-game winner for the Mets was Frank Viola in 1990. "Obviously, there's something that looks pretty about that number," said Dickey, looking to improve his Cy Young Award credentials. ... Collins said there is probably a 70 percent chance that closer Frank Francisco (elbow tendinitis) is done for the season. Francisco hasn't pitched since Sept. 16. ... LHP Robert Carson had an MRI that showed a triceps tendon strain. He is day to day. "A huge sigh of relief for me and for him," Collins said. ... Wright also set franchise records for RBIs, runs and walks this season. The only other active players to lead their current club in career hits are Derek Jeter (Yankees), Todd Helton (Rockies) and Michael Young (Rangers). ... Pirates 2B Neil Walker (lower back) was out of the lineup again and could be shut down for the rest of the season, Hurdle said. ... Rookie LF Starling Marte showed off his powerful arm, throwing out Murphy at the plate by a wide margin.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Sabathia strikes out 10 as Yankees top Twins
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - C.C. Sabathia struck out 10 batters over eight innings for New York to help the Yankees stretch their AL East lead to two games over Baltimore by beating the Minnesota Twins 8-2 on Wednesday.
ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2012) ? A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), headed by CNIO Director Mar?a Blasco, has demonstrated in a pioneering study on mammals that longevity is defined at a molecular level by the length of telomeres. The work -- which is published September 27 in the online edition of the journal Cell Reports -- opens the door to further study of these cellular components in order to calculate the rate at which cells age and thus be able to determine life expectancy for a particular organism.
Chromosomes -- the cellular containers holding the genetic information in living creatures -- have repetitive sequences of DNA at their extremities called telomeres. These sequences act as hoods that protect the genetic material in the face of any external agent which might damage it and compromise the function of the cells.
Several transversal population studies -- measuring telomere length once over time in a large group of individuals -- show a relationship between the length of the telomeres and the risk of suffering illnesses -- cardiovascular disease or cancer, for example.
Until now, however, the use of telomeric measurements to predict real life expectancy in mammals had not been evaluated.
"In the transversal studies, it appears that individuals with short telomeres have a significantly increased probability of developing illnesses, including cancer. But this information is not applicable to a specific individual," says Blasco.
To determine a real aeing prediction method, the authors of the present study have carried out longitudinal studies of telomere length in mice, in which a single individual is followed over a period of time.
After taking periodic blood samples from the same individual, from which cells were extracted for study, they found that those mice which managed to live longer were not the ones that had longer telomeres at any given age but those in which showed less telomeric shortening over time.
"The important thing is not so much the long telomeres at any given time as the tendency or the evolution of the length of the telomeres over time," says Elsa Vera, lead author of the study.
With this study, Blasco's team suggests using mice as an animal model in longitudinal studies that allow for health prognoses in humans. Blasco says that: "while telomere length in normal mice is much greater than in humans, we have found, surprisingly, that the telomere shortening rate in mice is 100 times faster than in humans, so the old dogma of normal mice not getting old due to the shortening of their telomeres is wrong."
This study further opens the possibility of studying, via the longitudinal examination of these genetic guardians, the real effect of lifestyle choices such as diet, smoking or exercise on individual aging rates.
These studies might therefore be crucial in preventing illnesses or in developing new medicines to treat them.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO).
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Journal Reference:
Elsa Vera, Bruno Bernardes?de?Jesus, Miguel Foronda, Juana?M. Flores, Maria?A. Blasco. The Rate of Increase of Short Telomeres Predicts Longevity in Mammals. Cell Reports, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2012.08.023
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Last week, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced that Waterford received a $300,000 federal grant for low-to-moderate-income homeowners to make necessary improvements to their homes.
The idea is for Waterford to give low-income residents interest-free loans to make necessary improvements to their homes, First Selectman Dan Steward said. Then the town puts a lien on the person?s home, and once they sell the home they repay the loan to town, to be lent out again, Steward said.
?It is a good program,? Steward said. ?It is something we found and have the ability to use.?
Low-to-moderate-income Waterford residents will be able to apply for money for roof replacements, heating system upgrades, window and door replacements, lead paint and asbestos removal and electrical and code upgrades, according to a state press release. The grant will cover the cost of the project, and then a lien will be put on that person?s house, Steward said.
People must repay the interest-free loan when they sell the home, or they can repay it earlier if they wish, he said. Then, the town will put that money back into a fund to lend it out to another person, Steward said.
?We see it as a rotating fund,? he said.
Steward said he just received notification last Thursday that the town received the grant and was not sure who could qualify and exactly what work would qualify for funding. He also was not sure on how Waterford residents could apply for the grant, but said he would be releasing that information once he finds out.
Meanwhile Waterford was one of 31 Connecticut towns that received part of the $10.9 million federal grant, which was funded by the United States Department of Housing and Development but administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, according to the release. In the release, Malloy said expanding affordable housing would be a high priority of his administration.
?Expanding access to affordable housing is critical to strengthening the statewide economy and a major focus of my administration,? Malloy said in the release. ?Over the next ten years, the state will invest $500 million to revitalize and expand affordable housing options so that our cities and towns will be better place to live, raise a family, and do business. These grants from the U.S. Department of Housing will go a long way to help us realize our goals, and we are appreciative of their recognition.?
ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2012) ? People who smoke both cigarettes and waterpipes -- dual users -- lack sufficient knowledge about the risks of tobacco smoking and are at considerable risk for dependence and tobacco-related diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and stroke later in life, according to findings of a new study by Virginia Commonwealth University.
The study, the first of its kind to assess trends in cigarette and waterpipe tobacco smoke based on long-term data, reveals few users perceive dangers of waterpipe tobacco. A common misconception about waterpipe smoking is that it is not as harmful as cigarette smoking.
In the past several years, a marked increase in waterpipe tobacco smoking, also known as hookah, has occurred among college students, especially those who did not smoke cigarettes before. While waterpipe smoking also can attract non-cigarette smokers, recent evidence has shown that a significant proportion of current cigarette smokers are using waterpipes, making them dual users of these tobacco products.
In a study, published online this week in the Journal of American College Health, researchers found that dual users -- people who smoke both cigarettes and waterpipes -- may have an increased exposure to nicotine, increased risk for tobacco dependence and are less likely to quit tobacco use.
"We often assume that everyone, including college students, is knowledgeable about the health risks associated with tobacco smoking," said principal investigator Aashir Nasim, Ph.D., National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities scholar and associate professor of psychology and African American studies in the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences.
"This simply isn't true, especially in relation to waterpipe tobacco smoking. Surprisingly, many hold the belief that waterpipe tobacco smoking is less harmful than cigarette smoking because the water filters out the 'bad stuff,'" he said.
According to Nasim, the team observed that although cigarette smoking among college students has declined since 2006, waterpipe tobacco smoking has increased substantially -- by about 20 percent -- among non-cigarette smokers, and waterpipe tobacco smoking prevalence has remained relatively unchanged among current cigarette smokers. About 10 percent of cigarette smokers also use waterpipe, he said.
Secondly, the team found that compared to exclusive cigarette smokers or exclusive waterpipe users, dual cigarette and waterpipe users report being more susceptible to peer influences and perceive the probability of addiction associated with waterpipe tobacco smoking to be relatively low.
The team is now examining other types of dual use -- for example, dual cigarette and cigar use -- on college campuses. This work is being done in collaboration with Danielle Dick, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, psychology and human and molecular genetics at VCU, and her Spit for Science research team.
Nasim collaborated with Caroline O. Cobb and Thomas Eissenberg, Ph.D., professor in the VCU Department of Psychology and the VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies; and Yousef Khader, Sc.D., with the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan.
The study was supported in part by United States Public Health Service grants R01CA120142, R01DA025659, R01DA024876, and F31DA028102.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Journal Reference:
Caroline O. Cobb, Yousef Khader, Aashir Nasim, Thomas Eissenberg. A Multiyear Survey of Waterpipe and Cigarette Smoking on a US University Campus. Journal of American College Health, 2012; 60 (7): 521 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2012.692416
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Public release date: 27-Sep-2012
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