Developmental Research Research Articles

Zebrafish: unraveling genetic complexity through duplicated genes.

The zebrafish is an invaluable model organism for genetic, developmental, and disease research. Although its high conservation with humans is often cited as justification for its use, the zebrafish harbors oft-ignored genetic characteristics that may provide unique insights into gene structure and function. Zebrafish, along with other teleost fish, underwent an additional round of whole genome duplication after their split from tetrapods-resulting in an abundance of duplicated genes when compared to other vertebrates. These duplicated genes have evolved in distinct ways over the ensuing 350 million years. Thus, each gene within a duplicated gene pair has nuanced differences that create a unique identity. By investigating both members of the gene pair together, we can elucidate the mechanisms that underly protein structure and function and drive the complex interplay within biological systems, such as signal transduction cascades, genetic regulatory networks, and evolution of tissue and organ function. It is crucial to leverage such studies to explore these molecular dynamics, which could have far-reaching implications for both basic science and therapeutic development. Here, we will review the role of gene duplications and the existing models for gene divergence and retention following these events. We will also highlight examples within each of these models where studies comparing duplicated genes in the zebrafish have yielded key insights into protein structure, function, and regulation.

TOTAL PERFORMANCE SCORECARD INNOVATION FOR IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AT SD NEGERI 61 BANDA ACEH

This research aims to develop a strategic planning model based on the Total Performance Scorecard (TPS) to enhance educational quality. The research method employed is developmental research involving analysis, design, development, implementation, and model evaluation. The study addresses challenges in formulating school strategic plans that currently do not meet theoretical standards and lack synchronization among plan components. Findings indicate suboptimal alignment with theoretical standards and lack of synchronization among plan components, reflecting minimal involvement from school stakeholders. As a solution, a TPS-based strategic planning model was developed involving all educators to fill out Personal Balanced Scorecards, while administrative staff filled out Organizational Balanced Scorecards. Discussions involving supervisors, school inspectors, and the school committee through Focus Group Discussions produced a SWOT analysis used to formulate the school's vision, mission, goals, objectives, key roles, strategies, and programs for the next five years. Implementation of this model will occur following operational and theoretical validation in the field, with plans to develop TPS-based strategic plans by 2028. Implications of the research highlight the importance of strengthening the strategic planning process at SD Negeri 61 to align more closely with theoretical standards and integrate plan components. Active engagement of all school stakeholders is expected to improve understanding and acceptance of the strategic plan, ensuring that the school's vision, mission, goals, and strategies reflect their needs and aspirations. The development of this model is anticipated to effectively address educational dynamics and future challenges, enabling the school to play a more optimal role in enhancing educational quality.

Reflections on How What We Say, Do, and Acknowledge as Intellectual and Developmental Disability Researchers Matters.

This article highlights reflections by the author on the importance of considering what we say, do and acknowledge in intellectual and developmental disability research. The goal is to advance thinking that can lead to personal and collective change in our approaches to truly share power and elevate the expertise of people with lived experience with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the movement for equity, inclusion, and disability justice. Implications for inclusive research, policy, and practice are discussed as is the need to engage in personal reflection and build new partnerships for collective change.

Old and new versions of the Molyneux question: A review of experimental answers

The ‘Molyneux problem’ is typically framed in terms of the crossmodal matching of shape information from touch to vision. Indeed, shape along with intensity have commonly been considered amodal stimulus properties/dimensions (at least by developmental researchers). However, it is important to note that what is common, if anything, to the senses differs in the two cases: It is the physical stimulus (and possibly also the associated phenomenology) that is thought to be the same in the case of crossmodal (or intermodal) shape matching between touch and vision, whereas it is the nature of the underlying neural encoding that is said to be similar in the case of crossmodal matching of auditory and visual stimulus intensity. While the first empirical data to have been published on these two forms of putatively amodal crossmodal matching appeared to suggest that they both emerge surprisingly early in the course of human development (i.e., within the first month of life), certain of these seminal findings have proved difficult to replicate. Ultimately, therefore, there is currently little convincing evidence to support the notion that such putatively innate crossmodal matching of amodal stimulus dimensions is actually different in kind from the various other crossmodal correspondences that are seemingly acquired at various points during the course of human development (typically as a result of the internalization of the crossmodal statistics of the environment). As such, there may be nothing particularly special about the type of crossmodal matching thought to underlie the ‘Molyneux problem’, and continued interest in the issue may inadvertently have helped to sustain a misguided account of the differences between different types of crossmodal correspondence.

Pengembangan Bahan Ajar Teks Prosedur Berbasis Video Animasi Kelas VII SMP Muhammadiyah 03 Medan

Evaluate the steps taken to create animated video-based teaching materials for procedural text, create an animated videos based teaching material for procedure text, and assess whether animation-based procedural texts are worthy of use in class VII in Muhammadiyah 03 Fields. This research is a developmental research with Borg and Gall designs. Data collection techniques implemented are structured interviews and rackets that will be given to students, teachers and experts. Descriptive analysis is the data analysis technique used in this research. The results of this study show that the results of validation by material experts, media experts, Indonesian language teachers, and student evaluation of the materials developed indicate that the materials are in the category of "Very Worthy". The validation results of the qualification can be described as follows: 88% of the evaluation results are very good, 2% of the media results are good, 91% of the lesson outcome is good, and 93% of the student or student participant's credibility is good.

Gliding toward an understanding of the origin of flight in bats.

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight and have correspondingly specialized body plans, particularly in their limb morphology. The origin of bat flight is still not fully understood due to an uninformative fossil record but, from the perspective of a functional transition, it is widely hypothesized that bats evolved from gliding ancestors. Here, we test predictions of the gliding-to-flying hypothesis of the origin of bat flight by using phylogenetic comparative methods to model the evolution of forelimb and hindlimb traits on a dataset spanning four extinct bats and 231 extant mammals with diverse locomotor modes. Our results reveal that gliders exhibit adaptive trait optima (1) toward relatively elongate forelimbs that are intermediate between those of bats and non-gliding arborealists, and (2) toward relatively narrower but not longer hindlimbs that are intermediate between those of non-gliders and bats. We propose an adaptive landscape based on limb length and width optimal trends derived from our modeling analyses. Our results support a hypothetical evolutionary pathway wherein glider-like postcranial morphology precedes a bat-like morphology adapted to powered-flight, setting a foundation for future developmental, biomechanical, and evolutionary research to test this idea.

Argument in religious studies at GCSE: a collaborative developmental research project

ABSTRACT This paper describes a developmental research project that started from the desire amongst several religious education teachers across different schools to work collaboratively to improve their teaching of argumentation. It specifically focuses on GCSE religious studies examinations in England. We were particularly interested in how students express their own arguments in written examination essays, which have specific requirements. The intention was to think more deeply about what is meant by argument without resorting to pure philosophy, and thereby develop our pedagogy in teaching these skills through deeper reflection, learning and experiment in the classroom, as well as sharing our experience. Working with a researcher, we adopted a particular theory of argumentation, from Toulmin, and then heuristically developed techniques to refine our practice. Through collaborative self-study with a researcher, we draw on qualitative data to consider both what strategies were developed and how our collaboration supported our professional development. The strategies for teaching argumentation were through simplification and the use of metaphor. Collaboration was through inter-school support in developing and trying out new techniques. Significantly, we found that argumentation could be developed without explicitly teaching philosophy.

The NIH Infant and Toddler Toolbox: A new standardized tool for assessing neurodevelopment in children ages 1-42 months.

The progress of developmental research demands reliable measurement techniques, yet inconsistency persist across laboratories, subfields, and settings. To address this, the NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIHTB)® has been extended to create a universal assessment for developmental and pediatric communities: The NIH Infant and Toddler ("Baby") Toolbox. Currently undergoing norming in a sample of 2550 children demographically representative of the 2020 U.S. census, the Baby Toolbox is slated for release in late 2024. This paper introduces the Baby Toolbox, details its objectives, development, and technological innovations, describes plans for reliability and norming, and invites researchers to consider the Baby Toolbox in the future studies. Ultimately, this initiative stands to enhance cross-study comparability and advance comprehensive developmental evaluation.

Limited evidence of test-retest reliability in infant-directed speech preference in a large preregistered infant experiment.

Test-retest reliability-establishing that measurements remain consistent across multiple testing sessions-is critical to measuring, understanding, and predicting individual differences in infant language development. However, previous attempts to establish measurement reliability in infant speech perception tasks are limited, and reliability of frequently used infant measures is largely unknown. The current study investigated the test-retest reliability of infants' preference for infant-directed speech over adult-directed speech in a large sample (N=158) in the context of the ManyBabies1 collaborative research project. Labs were asked to bring in participating infants for a second appointment retesting infants on their preference for infant-directed speech. This approach allowed us to estimate test-retest reliability across three different methods used to investigate preferential listening in infancy: the head-turn preference procedure, central fixation, and eye-tracking. Overall, we found no consistent evidence of test-retest reliability in measures of infants' speech preference (overall r=0.09, 95% CI [-0.06,0.25]). While increasing the number of trials that infants needed to contribute for inclusion in the analysis revealed a numeric growth in test-retest reliability, it also considerably reduced the study's effective sample size. Therefore, future research on infant development should take into account that not all experimental measures may be appropriate for assessing individual differences between infants. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We assessed test-retest reliability of infants' preference for infant-directed over adult-directed speech in a large pre-registered sample (N=158). There was no consistent evidence of test-retest reliability in measures of infants' speech preference. Applying stricter criteria for the inclusion of participants may lead to higher test-retest reliability, but at the cost of substantial decreases in sample size. Developmental research relying on stable individual differences should consider the underlying reliability of its measures.

Development of Mathematics Learning Tools Based on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Using the Outdoor Learning Mathematics Method to Enhance Mathematical Connections in Junior High School

This research aims to develop mathematics learning tools based on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) using the Outdoor Learning Mathematics method with the goal of enhancing mathematical connections of junior high school students in statistics. The research method employed is a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods, both conducted through developmental research comprising planning, development, and evaluation stages. The sample for this research was two classes at SMPN 1 Tempeh with homogeneous mathematical abilities, where one class will be used as the experimental group and one class as the control group. Determining the research area using a purposive area sampling technique with the consideration that learning using the outdoor learning mathematics method with educational sustainable development (ESD) based learning tools has never been implemented at SMPN 1 Tempeh. The selection of eighth-grade classes is based on the consideration that statistics material is currently being taught in eighth grade, and eighth-grade students have not been subjects of research for similar studies before. The learning tools developed are designed in accordance with ESD principles and utilize outdoor mathematics learning approaches to enhance students’ understanding and skills in statistics. The results from Hypothesis Testing for Pretest indicate that a p-value of 0.648 is obtained, where this value > 0.05 means H0 is accepted and H1 is rejected. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is no difference in the mean between the control and experimental groups in the pretest. Whereas the result of Posttest Hypothesis Test indicate that a p-value of 0.028 is obtained, where this value < 0.05 means H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. So the use of ESD-based mathematics learning tools with the Outdoor Learning Mathematics method is effective in improving students’ mathematical connections in statistics. The implication of this research underscores the importance of integrating mathematics education with sustainable development principles to reinforce students’ understanding and skills in mathematics while also fostering awareness of environmental and social issues.

Staging of post-settlement growth in the nudibranch Hypselodoris festiva

Sea slugs of the family Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia, Gastropoda, Mollusca) have garnered attention by researchers and hobbyists alike for their bright and variable color patterns. However, the chromodorid life cycle has yet to be fully elucidated as there exist no reports of their rearing in the laboratory. Here, we report the rearing of Hypselodoris festiva from eggs to adults, where we categorized their post-settlement growth patterns from juvenile to adult stages. Body coloration appeared around 36 days, and organogenesis of vital adult organs began within 42 days after hatching. The anus of H. festiva was observed to change from a ventral to dorsal position during juvenile growth. Individuals reached sexual maturity after six months post-hatching, with successful mating and spawning observed ex situ. This study outlines comprehensive rearing methods and life cycle staging that could be applied to other chromodorid species. We propose H. festiva as a model organism for chromodorid research, with this research contributing to the progress of developmental and evolutionary research on sea slugs.

Being good and feeling good: What happiness means to children

AbstractHappiness is one of the most important parenting goals in today's modern society. To promote a happy childhood, we need to understand what happiness means to children. Contrary to the view that young children may equate happiness with satisfying material desires and experiencing simple pleasures, in this article, I review recent developmental research showing that (1) even young children have a sophisticated understanding about the role of desire satisfaction in happiness, (2) they perceive happiness as contingent on moral goodness, and (3) they experience happiness from performing morally good behaviors. Together, the findings suggest that for children, happiness means more than feeling good about satisfying material desires and experiencing simple pleasures; it also means being good to oneself and others. This research deepens our understanding of children's emotional cognition and experience, elucidates the nature and origins of happiness, and has significant implications for fostering a happy childhood and beyond.

Neurophysiological measurements of planarian brain activity: a unique model for neuroscience research.

Planarians are well-known model organisms for regeneration and developmental biology research due to their remarkable regenerative capacity. Here, we aim to advocate for the use of planaria as a valuable model for neurobiology, as well. Planarians have most of the major qualities of more developed organisms, including a primal brain. These traits combined with their exceptional regeneration capabilities, allow neurobiological experiments not possible in any other model organism, as we demonstrate by electrophysiological recording from planaria with two heads that control a shared body. To facilitate planarian neuroscience research, we developed an extracellular multi-unit recording procedure for the planarians fragile brain (Dugesia japonica). We created a semi-intact preparation restrained with fine dissection pins, enabling hours of reliable recording, via a suction electrode. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility and potential of planarian neurophysiological research by characterizing the neuronal activity during simple learning processes and responses to various stimuli. In addition, we examined the use of linalool as anesthetic agent to allows recordings from an intact, large worm and for fine electrophysiological approaches such as intracellular recording. The demonstrated ability for neurophysiological measurements, along with the inherent advantages of planarians, promotes this exceptional model organism for neuroscience research.

Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency in lhx4-Knockout Zebrafish.

LIM homeobox 4 (LHX4) is a transcription factor crucial for anterior pituitary (AP) development. Patients with LHX4 mutation suffer from combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD), short statures, reproductive and metabolic disorders and lethality in some cases. Lhx4-knockout (KO) mice fail to develop a normal AP and die shortly after birth. Here, we characterize a zebrafish lhx4-KO model to further investigate the importance of LHX4 in pituitary gland development and regulation. At the embryonic and larval stages, these fish express lower levels of tshb mRNA compared with their wildtype siblings. In adult lhx4-KO fish, the expressions of pituitary hormone-encoding transcripts, including growth hormone (gh), thyroid stimulating hormone (tshb), proopiomelanocortin (pomca) and follicle stimulating hormone (fshb), are reduced, the pomca promoter-driven expression in corticotrophs is dampened and luteinizing hormone (lhb)-producing gonadotrophs are severely depleted. In contrast to Lhx4-KO mice, Lhx4-deficient fish survive to adulthood, but with a reduced body size. Importantly, lhx4-KO males reach sexual maturity and are reproductively competent, whereas the females remain infertile with undeveloped ovaries. These phenotypes, which are reminiscent of those observed in CPHD patients, along with the advantages of the zebrafish for developmental genetics research, make this lhx4-KO fish an ideal vertebrate model to study the outcomes of LHX4 mutation.

Commentary: Optimism for the future of research on disruptive behaviors - an appreciation of good science as illustrated by Nobakht, Steinsbekk & Wichstrom (2023).

This paper by Nobakht, Steinsbekk & Wichstrom (2023) is a model of good science in the study of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Their approach illustrates a thoughtful research design, statistical modeling sufficient to empirically evaluate developmental processes, and a full consideration of the theoretical implications of their work. This contrasts with a broad history of research on ODD and CD that far too often has only reified biased assumptions about these phenomena rather than rigorously scrutinizing them. Their demonstration of a unidirectional developmental flow of influence from ODD to interparental aggression, and thence to CD highlights a set of complicated developmental processes involving these disorders and their environment. It expands on evidence of the toll that ODD exerts on parents and provides guidance for more specific intervention. Standards in developmental psychopathology research should include testing bidirectional processes and employing designs that could falsify rather than reify existing beliefs. Examining key mechanisms in such processes will more rapidly generate improvements in assessment and treatment.

Innovative solutions: Design and implementation of an advanced national service training program (NSTP) portal for state universities and colleges in the Philippines

Technology is continually evolving, leading to unexpected breakthroughs, especially evident during the pandemic. The modern era has enhanced the quality of life for many people, and computer programs have transformed how individuals connect with each other and the world. This study aims to develop a National Service Training Program (NSTP) Portal System for the Department of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the region. The researcher used developmental research methodologies, which involve examining, describing, and assessing the product development process. The system's source code was written in PHP, JavaScript, and jQuery, following the Agile Process. MySQL was used to create the system's database, storing all data, records, and information. The study employed developmental research methods to analyze and describe the product development process and evaluate the final product. Additionally, a descriptive research approach was used to gather information through survey questionnaires to assess the system's validity in terms of its features. This evaluation was conducted using a survey instrument based on the ISO/IEC 25010 Software Quality Standards. Department heads, academics, and students were consulted during the data collection for the portal development. The system's creation was successful.

Disparities in Telehealth Uptake for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric Assessments by Preferred Family Language: A Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network Study.

Owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many developmental-behavioral pediatric (DBP) practices adopted telehealth for care delivery. However, telehealth access and use for families with a preferred language other than English (PLOE) is an equity concern. Therefore, our study objective is to compare rates of telehealth utilization and visit completion by preferred family language among patients seen for DBP assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. We completed a descriptive chart review using electronic health record data at 4 academic DBP practices to examine visits for patients up to 5 years seen for new-patient appointments between April 2020 and April 2021. We compared rates of in-person and telehealth visits by preferred family language and visit outcome (completed or missed). A total of 3241 visits were scheduled between April 2020 and April 2021; 48.2% were for in-person and 51.8% for telehealth. Families reported the following languages: 90.5% English, 6.2% Spanish, and 3.3% other language. Missed visits accounted for 7.6% of scheduled visits. The relative percentage of in-person versus telehealth visits varied significantly by site (p < 0.001) and preferred family language (p < 0.001). English-speaking patients had 2.10 times the odds of being scheduled for telehealth compared with patients with PLOE, adjusting for site. Statistically significant differences were not found for visit outcome (completed or missed) by visit type (in-person or telehealth) (p = 0.79), including after accounting for PLOE status (p = 0.83). At the height of the pandemic, most English-speaking families were scheduled for new DBP evaluations by telehealth, but fewer families with PLOE were. Attention to language to ensure telehealth access equity is critical.

BirthSeq, a new method to isolate and analyze dated cells in different vertebrates.

Embryonic development is a complex and dynamic process that unfolds over time and involves the production and diversification of increasing numbers of cells. The impact of developmental time on the formation of the central nervous system is well documented, with evidence showing that time plays a crucial role in establishing the identity of neuronal subtypes. However, the study of how time translates into genetic instructions driving cell fate is limited by the scarcity of suitable experimental tools. We introduce BirthSeq, a new method for isolating and analyzing cells based on their birth date. This innovative technique allows for in vivo labeling of cells, isolation via fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and analysis using high-throughput techniques. We calibrated the BirthSeq method for developmental organs across three vertebrate species (mouse, chick and gecko), and utilized it for single-cell RNA sequencing and novel spatially resolved transcriptomic approaches in mouse and chick, respectively. Overall, BirthSeq provides a versatile tool for studying virtually any tissue in different vertebrate organisms, aiding developmental biology research by targeting cells and their temporal cues.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Medication Treated Preschool-Age Children Without and With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Developmental-Behavioral Research Network Study

Abstract: Objectives: The study objective was to compare preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder without autism spectrum disorder (ADHD − ASD) with those with ADHD and ASD (ADHD + ASD), treated with stimulant or alpha-2-agonist (A2A) medications. Methods: Retrospective electronic health record review of 497 children from 7 developmental behavioral pediatrics research network sites. Children were younger than 72 months when treated with medication for ADHD from January 1, 2013, to January 7, 2017. We analyzed differences in children with ADHD − ASD versus ADHD + ASD treated with stimulants or A2As, including demographics, coexisting conditions, medication effectiveness, medication, discontinuation factors, and adverse effects. Results: Of the 497 preschool-age children with ADHD, 389 had ADHD − ASD and 108 had ADHD + ASD. No statistically significant differences were found in demographics between the groups. At baseline, ADHD + ASD group reported more sleep problems. For the ADHD − ASD group, stimulant medication was significantly more effective than A2As; no significant differences were found in medication effectiveness of stimulants versus A2As for the ADHD + ASD group. Children with ADHD − ASD experienced more appetite suppression and stomachaches on stimulants. No associations were found between ASD status and rates of common adverse effects for children initiated on A2As. Conclusion: We found more similarities than differences when comparing ADHD − ASD preschool-age children with those with ADHD + ASD. For children with ADHD − ASD, stimulant medications were significantly more effective than A2As. Overall, there was notable overlap in presentation, response to medication, coexisting conditions, and effectiveness of medication classes.

Up you get: Norwegian parents' reactions to children's negative emotions.

Developmental research suggests that children learn to regulate their emotions and behavior through a process of emotion socialization. The main body of literature is based on samples from the United States, and very little is known about the socialization of emotions in Nordic settings. The current study aimed to explore associations between mothers' and fathers' reactions to children's negative emotions and externalizing behavior problems in a Nordic cultural context, and to explore gender differences in these associations. Parent-report data on the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI) was collected in a large sample of Norwegian preschool-aged children (mothers, n = 242; fathers, n = 183; N = 257; M = 54 months, SD = 4.54; 49% boys). Teacher-report data was collected using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) conduct scale (n = 117). Both parents' supportive and non-supportive reactions were associated with child externalizing difficulties in expected directions as evidenced by path models, controlling for socioeconomic status and age. A pattern emerged in which non-supportive reactions to a greater extent predicted an increase in externalizing problems in girls, and supportive reactions predicted lower levels of externalizing problems in boys. Our findings supported the basic assumptions of emotion socialization theory in a Nordic cultural context in which parental supportive and non-supportive responses are related to child externalizing difficulties. Nordic parents are important socialization agents for their children, but their behaviors had a differential effect on boys' and girls' externalizing behavior problems.