Preventing Serious Conduct Problems in School-Age Youth: The Fast Track Program

Children with early-starting conduct problems have a very poor prognosis and exact a high cost to society. The Fast Track project is a multisite, collaborative research project investigating the efficacy of a comprehensive, long-term, multicomponent intervention designed to prevent the development of serious conduct problems in high-risk children. In this article, we (a) provide an overview of the developmental model that serves as the conceptual foundation for the Fast Track intervention and describe its integration into the intervention model; (b) outline the research design and intervention model, with an emphasis on the elementary school phase of the intervention; and (c) summarize findings to date concerning intervention outcomes. We then provide a case illustration, and conclude with a discussion of guidelines for practitioners who work with children with conduct problems.     

Time of day affects episodic memory in older adults

The neuropsychological test scores of 2030 cognitively normal older adults were examined to evaluate performance patterns as they related to time of day (TOD) at which testing was initiated. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association of TOD with scores on seven neuropsychological tests used in the clinical evaluation of dementia. Episodic memory performance was significantly related to TOD, while memory span and verbal fluency were not. Best performance occurred during early morning hours and late afternoon; worst performance occurred mid-day (i.e., noon). These findings may have implications for clinical assessment, the design of research on dementia, and the daily functioning of older adults.     

遗传学认识的特征、争论及其社会控制

20世纪遗传学取得的重大成就并不能掩盖它与人类社会的伦理、宗教、法律之间的不和谐.如何更加正确和高效地进行遗传学的研究和技术应用已经成为各国自然科学家和社会科学家共同关心的问题.概括了遗传学认识的特征,分析了现代遗传学理论同各种传统认识之间存在的争论,并结合当今在遗传学理论研究和技术运用中出现的社会问题提出社会控制的措施.     

脑死亡立法的伦理辩护

"脑死亡"立法是必要的并可以得到充分的伦理辩护:尊重人,特别是尊重人的自主性是"脑死亡"立法的伦理基础."脑死亡"立法符合有利和公平的伦理原则,符合功利主义伦理学追求社会利益最大化的目的.但我们在立法时,应尽量贯彻不伤害原则,注意保护患者及其亲属的利益.     

Infant mental health home visiting therapists’ fidelity to the Michigan IMH-HV model in community practice settings

Implementation research suggests that fidelity to a therapeutic model is important for enhancing outcomes, yet can be difficult to achieve in community practice settings. Furthermore, few published studies have reported on characteristics of treatment fidelity. The present study examined fidelity to the Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH-HV) model among 51 therapists with a range of experience practicing in community settings across the state of Michigan. IMH therapists completed fidelity checklists after every session with participating families to track use of 15 treatment strategies central to the IMH-HV model across the 12-month study period. Results indicated that the most commonly endorsed components utilized in home visits were developmental guidance and infant–parent psychotherapy, followed by the provision of emotional support. Use of IMH-HV components did not vary over time for the entire sample; however, patterns of strategies used showed somewhat more variability among more experienced therapists and when serving higher risk families. Findings demonstrate that IMH-HV therapists report a range of adherence to the model in community settings, with greatest fidelity to several model core components. Ongoing training in the flexible use of all core strategies may further enhance fidelity and contribute to positive outcomes for caregivers and their children receiving IMH-HV services.     

Infant mental health home visiting therapists’ reflective supervision self-efficacy in community practice settings

In recent years, there has been an increase in the research on reflective supervision, including the development of tools designed to measure reflective practice in the context of reflective supervision. The Reflective Supervision Self-Efficacy Scale for Supervisees (RSSESS) is a self-report measure that has been used in previous evaluations and is designed to assess perceived reflective practice self-efficacy for Infant Mental Health-Home Visiting (IMH-HV) therapists. Properties of the RSSESS including factor structure and reliability are explored in a first study that lays the foundation for the use of the RSSESS in an IMH-HV evaluation in the State of Michigan. IMH-HV therapists completed the RSSESS at 4 time points over a 12-month period and also completed a Clinician Profile Form that included questions about their IMH background and their work experience, including job satisfaction and burnout. Results indicated that the RSSESS is a reliable tool to measure change in reflective practice skills. IMH-HV therapists demonstrated growth in their use of reflective practice skills with families and their observational skills over the 12-month period. In addition, results indicated correlations between reflective supervision self-efficacy and job satisfaction as well as burnout.     

重复电休克对大白鼠学习记忆的影响

本实验观察了生后18—19天的幼年大白鼠接受连续四周重复电休克(每天两次),到动物成年后对学习和记忆有明显的影响;电休克施加于更年幼的动物(生后14天)有更明显的影响;而施加于成年动物(生后两个月),则没有影响。这一观察在防御性和食物性两种实验方法中的结果是一致的。