Peptidomimetic antibiotics disrupt the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge of drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae

The rise of antimicrobial resistance poses a substantial threat to our health system, and, hence, development of drugs against novel targets is urgently needed. The natural peptide thanatin kills Gram-negative bacteria by targeting proteins of the lipopolysaccharide transport (Lpt) machinery. Using the thanatin scaffold together with phenotypic medicinal chemistry, structural data, and a target-focused approach, we developed antimicrobial peptides with drug-like properties. They exhibit potent activity against Enterobacteriaceae both in vitro and in vivo while eliciting low frequencies of resistance. We show that the peptides bind LptA of both wild-type and thanatin-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains with low-nanomolar affinities. Mode of action studies revealed that the antimicrobial activity involves the specific disruption of the Lpt periplasmic protein bridge.

Quantitative investigation of polarization-dependent photocurrent in ferroelectric thin films

Ferroelectric thin films are investigated for their potential in photovoltaic (PV) applications, owing to their high open-circuit voltage and switchable photovoltaic effect. The direction of the ferroelectric polarization can control the sign of the photocurrent through the ferroelectric layer, theoretically allowing for 100% switchability of the photocurrent with the polarization, which is particularly interesting for photo-ferroelectric memories. However, the quantitative relationship between photocurrent and polarization remains little studied. In this work, a careful investigation of the polarization-dependent photocurrent of epitaxial Pb(Zr, Ti)O₃thin films has been carried out, and has provided a quantitative determination of the unswitchable part of ferroelectric polarization. These results represent a systematic approach to study and optimize the switchability of photocurrent, and more broadly to get important insights on the ferroelectric behavior in all types of ferroelectric layers in which pinned polarization is difficult to investigate.

Nutrition socialization experiences of children in the Head Start program

Some preschoolers may be at risk for overweight and obesity. To gain greater insight into children's early nutrition socialization experiences, the association of adult nutrition attitudes and mealtime behaviors to young children's eating behaviors and weight-for-height was investigated. Forty-six parent-child pairs and 8 Head Start teachers participated. Children were weighed and measured; parents completed measures of child eating behaviors, nutrition attitudes, and family mealtimes; teachers reported their own nutrition attitudes and were observed during mealtimes. Correlational findings indicated that parents' negative mealtime practices were associated with higher child weight-for-height and that parents' positive nutrition-attitudes were related to more pleasant family mealtimes, fewer negative mealtime practices, and less troublesome child eating behaviors. The Head Start mealtime environment was developmentally appropriate and predictable for children. Although teachers engaged in some nutrition teaching during meals, a number of opportunities were missed for promoting children's nutrition socialization. In sum, these results identified potential opportunities for improving children's early nutrition socialization experiences.

School-age children's attributions about their own naturally occurring minor injuries: a process analysis

OBJECTIVE

To analyze children's attribution of cause regarding their naturally occurring minor injuries in light of the pre-injury parental acceptability of children's behavior and the emotions children experienced immediately after the event.

METHOD

Sixty-one 8-year-old children were interviewed biweekly for one year about their naturally occurring minor injuries. Participants monitored environmental and psychosocial elements of the injuries and later answered questions about the cause of the event.

RESULTS

For a total sample of 1,037 minor injuries, children most frequently designated fate as the primary cause. Further analysis revealed that attributions varied by children's pre-injury behavior and post-injury feelings. Children were equally likely to accept primary responsibility or to assign cause to fate when they were engaged in unacceptable behavior before the event. Similarly, children assumed primary responsibility for the injury when they experienced post-injury guilt. No differences in injury attributions were revealed by gender or by the child's frequency of injuries during the year.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the significance of adult caregiver safety rule creation, endorsement, and ongoing communication for the socialization of children's safe behaviors.

School-age and adolescent children's perceptions of family functioning in neglectful and non-neglectful families

OBJECTIVE

Examined the question, do neglected children's perceptions of their own family's functioning acknowledge the differences that exist between neglectful and non-neglectful families?

METHOD

An inter-rater consistency design was used; child and caseworker reports of family functioning in neglectful (n = 33) and non-neglectful families (n = 34) were compared.

RESULTS

After establishing significant differences between the socioemotional and physical environment provided by neglectful and non-neglectful families, the results indicated that children from neglectful families perceived a higher level of quality in family functioning that was not reported by caseworkers or supported by other measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Implications for designing effective interventions for school-age and adolescent children from neglectful families are discussed.

Treatment of maternal addiction to prevent child abuse and neglect

Substance abusing mothers are a population neglected by the broader fields of substance abuse research and treatment. They are also at special risk for child abuse and neglect. This paper proposes a treatment model, drawn from the child maltreatment literature, that is also strongly supported by substance abuse research. Barriers within the substance abuse field to the adoption of treatment methods suggested by this model are considered and methods of surmounting those barriers are described. Finally, the need for scientists in the child maltreatment field to draw from the expertise of substance abuse researchers and clinicians is illustrated by data from an ongoing project; these data document the strong link between risk for maltreatment and a history of substance abuse. The need for future collaboration between the two fields is indicated by both literatures and strongly urged here.

The determinants of coparenting in families with toddler boys: spousal differences and daily hassles

In order to advance understanding of the phenomenon of coparenting, naturalistic observations of firstborn sons were undertaken when they were 15 months of age at a time when both parents were home and family life was demanding. Narrative records of coparenting events were scored to determine the frequency with which parents supported and undermined each other and to test two hypotheses pertaining to individual differences in coparenting: that greater differences between spouses in demographic factors, personality, styles of relatedness and child-rearing attitudes would forecast more unsupportive and less supportive coparenting; and that the adverse effects of such spousal differences would be amplified by high levels of family stress, as indexed by frequency and intensity of daily hassles. Both hypotheses received support and are discussed in turn.