Developmental Relationship Research Articles

The relationship between symbolic play and language acquisition: A meta-analytic review

A developmental relationship between symbolic play and language has been long proposed, going as far back as the writings of Piaget and Vygotsky. In the current paper we build on recent qualitative reviews of the literature by reporting the first quantitative analysis of the relationship. We conducted a three-level meta-analysis of past studies that have investigated the relationship between symbolic play and language acquisition. Thirty-five studies (N = 6848) met the criteria for inclusion. Overall, we observed a significant small-to-medium association between the two domains (r = .35). Several moderating variables were included in the analyses, including: (i) study design (longitudinal, concurrent), (ii) the manner in which language was measured (comprehension, production), and (iii) the age at which this relationship is measured. The effect was weakly moderated by these three variables, but overall the association was robust, suggesting that symbolic play and language are closely related in development.

Identification of functionally unique CD4 T cells that are the circulating counterparts of epidermal resident memory T cells

Abstract As a barrier organ, the skin contains specialized T cell populations that combat infection and also help maintain tissue homeostasis and promote wound repair. Circulating skin-tropic T cells can also be identified in the blood based on their expression of the cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA), but the developmental and functional relationships between these circulating CLA+ T cells and tissue-resident T cells in the skin are not fully understood. Using 33-parameter Cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) analysis we identified a novel population of skin-tropic CD4+ T cells in human blood that expresses the CD103 integrin and phenotypically and functionally resembles epidermal resident memory T cells (TRM) in the skin. RNA sequencing identified a set of signature genes shared by circulating CD103+CLAhi T cells in the blood and epidermal TRM cells in the skin, and suggested that CD103+CLAhiT cells contribute to normal skin function and response to tissue damage. Finally, using humanized NSG mice carrying full-thickness human skin grafts we demonstrated that, despite their identification as TRM, CD103+CLAhi T cells in the skin are capable of exiting the tissue and re-entering circulation. Thus, CD103+CLAhi T cells in the blood represent a circulating T cell population of cutaneous TRM, and this provides novel opportunities for the study and therapeutic manipulation of TRM cells in the contexts of cutaneous infection, inflammation, and tissue-repair.

Developmental origin and morphogenesis of the diaphragm, an essential mammalian muscle

The diaphragm is a mammalian skeletal muscle essential for respiration and for separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Development of the diaphragm requires the coordinated development of muscle, muscle connective tissue, tendon, nerves, and vasculature that derive from different embryonic sources. However, defects in diaphragm development are common and the cause of an often deadly birth defect, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). Here we comprehensively describe the normal developmental origin and complex spatial-temporal relationship between the different developing tissues to form a functional diaphragm using a developmental series of mouse embryos genetically and immunofluorescently labeled and analyzed in whole mount. We find that the earliest developmental events are the emigration of muscle progenitors from cervical somites followed by the projection of phrenic nerve axons from the cervical neural tube. Muscle progenitors and phrenic nerve target the pleuroperitoneal folds (PPFs), transient pyramidal-shaped structures that form between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Subsequently, the PPFs expand across the surface of the liver to give rise to the muscle connective tissue and central tendon, and the leading edge of their expansion precedes muscle morphogenesis, formation of the vascular network, and outgrowth and branching of the phrenic nerve. Thus development and morphogenesis of the PPFs is critical for diaphragm formation. In addition, our data indicate that the earliest events in diaphragm development are critical for the etiology of CDH and instrumental to the evolution of the diaphragm. CDH initiates prior to E12.5 in mouse and suggests that defects in the early PPF formation or their ability to recruit muscle are an important source of CDH. Also, the recruitment of muscle progenitors from cervical somites to the nascent PPFs is uniquely mammalian and a key developmental innovation essential for the evolution of the muscularized diaphragm.

Re(de)fining Innate Lymphocyte Lineages in the Face of Cancer

Innate lymphocytes play critical roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis and integrity of the host at steady state and during pathogenic insults. The successive identification of new innate lymphocyte subsets has revealed an incredible diversity within the family. While this heterogeneous population can be grouped based on their cytotoxic potential into exclusively cytokine-producing helpers and cytolytic killers, the exact developmental relationships between the subsets are not fully understood. The former group is enriched at mucosal surfaces, whereas innate lymphocytes with cytotoxic potential can be identified in a wider array of tissues, including tumors. Although their cytotoxicity suggests an antitumor role, the nature of tumor-elicited innate lymphocyte responses has only begun to be investigated, and the identities of participating subsets still remain contentious. In this review, we provide a brief overview of innate lymphocyte biology, review the current knowledge on their ontogeny, and discuss their roles in tumor immunosurveillance. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(4); 372-7. ©2018 AACR.

Visualizing Temporal Relationships of Body Cavity Partitioning with an Interactive Timeline

Birth defects and prematurity are the leading causes of disability and infant mortality (Sadler, 2012). It is therefore essential for future health-care providers to understand embryological processes. A clear understanding of embryology can also allow health professions students to make sense of adult anatomical structures and relationships. Despite its clinical significance, medical schools have decreased focus on embryology (Cassidy, 2015; Hamilton & Carachi, 2014; Scott, Charles, & Holland, 2013). Therefore, it is important to provide effective and engaging tools to supplement class material and allow students to learn the material efficiently. The lack of methods to organize the vast amount of existing material presents a barrier to discovering embryonic relationships quickly and efficiently. With recent developments in technology, use of web-based, interactive media has been a powerful supplement in medical education, allowing learners more control and customization for their needs (Ruiz, Mintzer, & Leipzig, 2006). The visual solution presented here is an interactive timeline that curates embryology information within a web-accessible, open access resource available to students for further exploration of both normal and abnormal embryonic development. Body cavity partitioning was chosen as the area of focus, as the development of relevant organ systems are directly related to the spaces in which they grow. The interactive timeline includes the ability to select specific events for more information, highlight related structures with visual cues, and reveal alternate events as defects. This method allows users to quickly access information on embryonic relationships and efficiently discover key developmental landmarks of both normal and abnormal embryonic development. Utilizing an interactive timeline may decrease the amount of time needed for students to identify key developmental relationships, may increase user knowledge of embryonic relationships and congenital defects, and may also provide an efficient and usable resource to display temporal embryonic relationships to medical and dental students. The author aims to address the learning challenges presented by this complex material, and the lack of resources available for students to learn embryology in a more flexible environment. This project sets the foundation for inclusion of more body systems with longer developmental periods into a larger-scale timeline to educate future health-care professionals on clinically relevant embryology. By expanding on a limited amount of quality resources for embryology education, this project will provide a basic framework that can be used to create more interactive timelines for different aspects of embryology. Support or Funding Information This research has currently received $5000 of support from the University of Illinois at Chicago through the Chancellor's Graduate Research Award. Diagrammatic overview of the three key features of the timeline This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Forging developmental relationships in the Grow Your Own Teacher Program

In the Grow Your Own Teacher (GYOT) program, an initiative developed by a university located on Long Island, New York, and funded by a congressionally-directed grant, a diverse cohort of 11th grade low-income students were financially, academically, and emotionally supported in their goal of becoming math or science teachers in predominantly high needs local school districts. In this article, the formation and solidifying of the developmental relationships, which underscored this intensified mentoring effort, were examined. Throughout the selection and implementation phases of the GYOT program, data were collected from multiple sources from both the secondary and post-secondary levels and analyzed to illuminate the organizational structures, activities, and techniques, the relationship-building elements, which enabled these students to flourish and successfully address personal challenges in acquiring a college degree.

Neurobehavioral Effects of Cephalosporins: Assessment of Locomotors Activity, Motor and Sensory Development in Zebrafish.

Most third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, such as cefotaxime, cefmenoxime, cefepime, and cefpirome, contain an aminothiazoyl ring at the C-7 position. Drug impurity, which may be produced either during synthesis or upon degradation, can induce adverse effects. Various reports have indicated that neurotoxicity is a side effect of cephalosporin. In this study, we developed methods for assessing the free-swimming activities and behaviors in zebrafish larvae in response to continuous darkness and stimulation of light-to-dark photoperiod transition by chemical treatments. We also performed transcriptome analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology analysis revealed that various processes related to nervous system development were significantly enriched by DEGs. We integrated 16 DEGs with protein–protein interaction networks and identified that neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction [e.g., λ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate receptor, metabotropic 1a (GRM1A)] pathway was regulated by the compounds. Our findings suggested that neurobehavioral effects mainly depend on the mother nucleus structure 7-aminocephalosporanic acid and the substitution at the C-3 position. In addition, gad2, or111-4, or126-3, grm1a, opn8c, or111-5, or113-2, and or118-3 may potentially be utilized as novel biomarkers for this class of cephalosporins, which causes neurotoxicity. This study provides neurological behavior, transcriptome, and docking information that could be used in further investigations of the structures and developmental neurotoxicity relationship of chemicals.

Examining an Extended Home Literacy Model: The Mediating Roles of Emergent Literacy Skills and Reading Fluency

ABSTRACTWe examined the developmental relationships between home literacy environment (parent teaching, shared book reading) and emergent literacy skills (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, rapid naming speed) in kindergarten, reading accuracy and fluency in Grade 1, and reading comprehension in Grades 2 and 3 in a sample of Canadian children learning to read English (N = 214). Results from a latent variable model showed that parent teaching predicted letter knowledge and phonological awareness, and shared book reading predicted vocabulary and rapid naming speed after controlling for family socioeconomic status. Moreover, both parent teaching and shared book reading contributed indirectly to reading accuracy and fluency in Grade 1, which then mediated the effects of home literacy environment on reading comprehension in Grades 2 and 3. The results suggest that the effects of home literacy environment on later reading development are distributed via more pathways than previously thought.

Cross‐lagged panel analysis of reciprocal effects of morphological processing and reading in Chinese in a multilingual context

BackgroundWhile much is known about how morphological awareness (MA) contributes to reading development, little attention has been paid to how reading may conversely affect MA development, particularly in readers of Chinese in a bilingual/multilingual setting.MethodsThe study adopted a cross‐lagged panel design. Young bilingual readers of Chinese were measured in MA, word reading and reading comprehension – all in Chinese – twice from Grade 3 to Grade 4.ResultsPath analysis revealed that Grade 3 MA significantly predicted Grade 4 reading comprehension after controlling for the autoregressive effect. Over and above Grade 3 MA, Grade 3 reading also significantly predicted Grade 4 MA. Subsequent analyses, however, revealed disparate developmental patterns between those with Chinese and English, respectively, as their home language.ImplicationsThese findings, while supporting reciprocity of developmental relationships between MA and reading, also suggested that the pattern of relationships can vary as a function of students' target language experiences in a bilingual/multilingual setting.

Screening for disruptive behaviour problems in preschool children in primary health care settings

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxx128.]

Growth plate-derived hedgehog-signal-responsive cells provide skeletal tissue components in growing bone.

Longitudinal bone growth progresses by continuous bone replacement of epiphyseal cartilaginous tissue, known as "growth plate", produced by columnar proliferated- and differentiated-epiphyseal chondrocytes. The endochondral ossification process at the growth plate is governed by paracrine signals secreted from terminally differentiated chondrocytes (hypertrophic chondrocytes), and hedgehog signaling is one of the best known regulatory signaling pathways in this process. Here, to investigate the developmental relationship between longitudinal endochondral bone formation and osteogenic progenitors under the influence of hedgehog signaling at the growth plate, genetic lineage tracing was carried out with the use of Gli1CreERT2 mice line to follow the fate of hedgehog-signal-responsive cells during endochondral bone formation. Gli1CreERT2 genetically labeled cells are detected in hypertrophic chondrocytes and osteo-progenitors at the chondro-osseous junction (COJ); these progeny then commit to the osteogenic lineage in periosteum, trabecular and cortical bone along the developing longitudinal axis. Furthermore, in ageing bone, where longitudinal bone growth ceases, hedgehog-signal responsiveness and its implication in osteogenic lineage commitment is significantly weakened. These results show, for the first time, evidence of the developmental contribution of endochondral progenitors under the influence of epiphyseal chondrocyte-derived secretory signals in longitudinally growing bone. This study provides a precise outline for assessing the skeletal lineage commitment of osteo-progenitors in response to growth-plate-derived regulatory signals during endochondral bone formation.

Frequent and/or Durable? The Predictive Impact of Initial Face-to-Face Contacts on the Formation and Evolution of Students’ Developmental Peer Network Relationships

Despite the relevance of relationships to others acting towards advancing a person’s career for individual career development, there is little research on how developmental relationships emerge and evolve over time. This two-year longitudinal study analyses the predictive impact of frequency and duration of initial face-to-face social interaction among newcomer students measured via RFID technology. Results from stochastic actor-oriented models suggest that the more frequent and durable initial contacts were at the first encounter, the more likely actors will create a developmental relationship, supporting proximity and mere-exposure-effect theory. Moreover, they show long-term effect tendencies of initial contacts’ frequency on the network’s evolution.

Finding the fluoride: Examining how and why developmental relationships are the active ingredient in interventions that work.

Comments on an article by Megan M. Julian & Junlei Li (see record 2012-10324-001). Junlei Li and Megan Julian argued that a major and under appreciated factor in the success and failure of interventions intended to improve the lives of children and youth at risk is the degree to which those interventions promote what the authors called developmental relationships. They asserted that "developmental interventions produce desirable outcomes if and only if such interventions enhanced developmental relationships". To illustrate their hypothesis, Li and Julian compared the role of developmental relationships in effective interventions to the role that fluoride plays in toothpaste: it is the active ingredient that directly and most powerfully contributes to the intended outcome. Although inactive ingredients such as those that determine the color and taste of toothpaste add value, it is the active ingredient of fluoride that is essential for fighting cavities. In the context of interventions for youth at risk, Li and Julian argued that rather than focusing on the active ingredient of relationships, strategies too often focus on "inactive ingredients" such as performance incentives, systems for holding employees accountable for performance, and the creation of new curricula. (PsycINFO Database Record

Psychosocial and Career Support from Different Types of Role-Multiplexity in Developmental Relationships

Related to role theory’s expansion approach, this study focused on how various social roles in one focal person-network member relationship (i.e., multiplexity) relate to the amount of psychosocial and career support. We expected different types of multiplex relationships in comparison to simplex relationships to be positively associated with the support received by the focal person. Via multilevel analysis in M plus, 2995 dyadic relationships of developmental networks nested in 533 persons were analysed. Concerning psychosocial support, a positive association with multiplex relationships from the non-work context, and the combination of work and non-work context could be observed. Multiplex relationships from the work context and multiplex relationships from the work and non-work context were positively associated with career support.

Promoting Awareness of Emotional Development to Endorse Emotional Competence

Emotional development has close association in promoting emotional competency. Indeed, its implication erupts in early developmental stages through regulating, learning expressive emotional behaviour and building up relation in interpersonal domain. The purpose of the article is to promote awareness of emotional development and to endorse emotional competence. This article bases on developmental perspective of emotion and its linkage with emotional regulation trough the developmental stages and emerging competencies that upholds emotional wellbeing. In nutshell views of this article indicates that promoting emotional competency and may help in endorsing the abilities that helps to cope effectively in particular circumstances, promoting characteristics associated with positive developmental outcomes, self-efficacy, prosocial behaviour and supportive relationships in social life; it further serves as a protective factor in waning of risk factors in life.

The co-evolution of career aspirations and peer relationships in psychology bachelor students: A longitudinal social network study

In the preparatory career stage of university, career aspirations are formed, stabilized, or changed. This aspect of career development interrelates to students' relationships to peers who are supportive in advancing their careers. Peer relations are driven by social similarity attraction, such that students affiliate with peers who have similar career interests (selection) and socialize each other, becoming more similar in the process (influence). The goal of this study is to examine how developmental peer relationships between peers and their career aspirations co-evolve during undergraduate studies using longitudinal actor-oriented social network analysis. Against expectations, results revealed evidence for selection, but not for influence.

Source-to-sink system in the south bank of Qinghai Lake

In the south bank of Qinghai Lake, numerous alluvial fans and coastal deposits have been formed. In terms of their developmental positions and relationships, the denudation system, depositional system, and transportation system consist of source-to-sink systems. Based on the field-investigation evidence and literature survey, it was confirmed that the developmental processes of these “source-to-sink” systems can be divided into three stages: the Early-Late Pleistocene stage, from 39 to 23 ka BP; Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene stage, from 39 to 10.7 ka BP; and modern stage. At the present time, these stages can still be identified as three levels of lake shore terraces. In the Late Pleistocene, the source-to-sink system indicates that the lake level was high, supply of clasts was sufficient, fan deltas had formed, and the lakeside plain continued to develop. At the end of the Late Pleistocene, with the sudden changes in global climate, the climate was dry and cold, and the lake level fell. At this time, the source-to-sink system showed that lake level was relatively low, supply of clasts was reduced, and transportation distance was longer; ancient sediments started to recycle in this system. Until modern times, alluvial fans in the south bank of Qinghai Lake have only rarely been developed, and the supply of clasts is primarily derived from the recirculation of paleo-shore sediments. Meanwhile, a large amount of sandy gravel beaches developed along the lake shore. By studying the multistage source-to-sink systems around modern lakes, the characteristics of the system in lake basins are enriched and provide an important analogy for researches of ancient lake basins.

Sox2 regulates astrocytic and vascular development in the retina.

Sox2 is a transcriptional regulator that is highly expressed in retinal astrocytes, yet its function in these cells has not previously been examined. To understand its role, we conditionally deleted Sox2 from the population of astrocytes and examined the consequences on retinal development. We found that Sox2 deletion does not alter the migration of astrocytes, but it impairs their maturation, evidenced by the delayed upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) across the retina. The centro-peripheral gradient of angiogenesis is also delayed in Sox2-CKO retinas. In the mature retina, we observed lasting abnormalities in the astrocytic population evidenced by the sporadic loss of GFAP immunoreactivity in the peripheral retina as well as by the aberrant extension of processes into the inner retina. Blood vessels in the adult retina are also under-developed and show a decrease in the frequency of branch points and in total vessel length. The developmental relationship between maturing astrocytes and angiogenesis suggests a causal relationship between the astrocytic loss of Sox2 and the vascular architecture in maturity. We suggest that the delay in astrocytic maturation and vascular invasion may render the retina hypoxic, thereby causing the abnormalities we observe in adulthood. These studies uncover a novel role for Sox2 in the development of retinal astrocytes and indicate that its removal can lead to lasting changes to retinal homeostasis.

Screening for disruptive behaviour problems in preschool children in primary health care settings

Disruptive behaviour problems in preschool children are significant risk factors for, and potential components of, neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders. Some noncompliance, temper tantrums and aggression between 2 and 5 years of age are normal and transient. However, problematic levels of disruptive behaviour, specifically when accompanied by functional impairment and/or significant distress, should be identified because early intervention can improve outcome trajectories. This position statement provides an approach to early identification using clinical screening at periodic health examinations, followed by a systematic mental health examination that includes standardized measures. The practitioner should consider a range of environmental, developmental, family and parent-child relationship factors to evaluate the clinical significance of disruptive behaviours. Options within a management plan include regular monitoring, accompanied by health guidance and parenting advice, referral to parent behaviour training as a core evidence-based intervention, and referral to specialty care for preschool children with significant disruptive behaviours, developmental or mental health comorbidities, or who are not responding to first-line interventions.

Construction of developmental lineage relationships in the mouse mammary gland by single-cell RNA profiling

The mammary epithelium comprises two primary cellular lineages, but the degree of heterogeneity within these compartments and their lineage relationships during development remain an open question. Here we report single-cell RNA profiling of mouse mammary epithelial cells spanning four developmental stages in the post-natal gland. Notably, the epithelium undergoes a large-scale shift in gene expression from a relatively homogeneous basal-like program in pre-puberty to distinct lineage-restricted programs in puberty. Interrogation of single-cell transcriptomes reveals different levels of diversity within the luminal and basal compartments, and identifies an early progenitor subset marked by CD55. Moreover, we uncover a luminal transit population and a rare mixed-lineage cluster amongst basal cells in the adult mammary gland. Together these findings point to a developmental hierarchy in which a basal-like gene expression program prevails in the early post-natal gland prior to the specification of distinct lineage signatures, and the presence of cellular intermediates that may serve as transit or lineage-primed cells.