Changes in executive function (EF) occur during adolescence with several factors (e.g., parenting styles, socioeconomic status) influencing the development of EF abilities. These changes are important as EF has been strongly linked with a range of outcomes including academic achievement, job performance, and social–emotional well-being. However, few studies have examined variability in EF trajectories during this critical developmental period, or trajectories in samples known to have specific impairments with EF, such as adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study examined differential trajectories of three domains of parent-rated EF in 302 adolescents (167 males; Mage = 13.17 years) with and without ADHD (53.6% with ADHD) from grade 8 to 10. The study also explored whether adolescent ADHD, parent ADHD, and parents’ own EF predicted EF trajectories in addition to the longitudinal relation between trajectories and academic outcomes. Findings suggest that adolescence is marked by significant variability in EF development due to factors such as ADHD status, parent ADHD, and parent EF ability. Additionally, adolescents who displayed poor EF abilities throughout middle and high school had significantly lower grade point averages and poorer parent-, teacher-, and self-reported academic outcomes. Implications for interventions targeting EF deficits among adolescents with and without ADHD are discussed.

While neuropsychological deficits in both “hot” and “cool” executive functions (EFs) have been documented among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), these EF deficits are not universal across all individuals with this diagnosis. One potential moderator of executive dysfunction may be the presence of comorbid oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). This study examined the association between “hot” and “cool” EFs and comorbid ODD in children with ADHD. Thirty-three children with ADHD and comorbid ODD (ADHD+ODD), 67 with ADHD without ODD (ADHD-ODD), and 30 typically developing controls participated. Children were 7–12 years of age. “Cool” EFs were assessed with a spatial span task and a card sorting test. “Hot” EFs were assessed using a delay discounting task and a gambling task. ADHD-ODD and ADHD+ODD groups performed more poorly on “cool” EF tasks than controls, but did not differ from each other. Furthermore, the number of ADHD symptoms, but not ODD symptoms, was associated with “cool” EF scores. The three groups did not differ on “hot” EF tasks and the number of ADHD or ODD symptoms was unrelated to “hot” EF scores. In sum, children with ADHD presented with “cool” EF deficits which appear to be unrelated to ODD comorbidity. However, “hot” EF deficits were not present among children with ADHD, irrespective of comorbid ODD status. (JINS, 2015, 21, 584–595)

The Five Part Model or Five Areas Model has been a pivotal component of cognitive behavioural therapy and the treatment of various psychological disorders. The Five Part Model consists of five components that represent the interaction of an individual's environment, thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical reactions. To date the Five Part Model has primarily been used to understand what has already happened to an individual; for example, when an individual is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder or is being treated for other psychological difficulties. However, there has been limited application of the Five Part Model to the concept of resilience. Given the effectiveness of the model as an assessment and treatment tool, then it is possible that this model would also be effective in understanding how an individual deals with the aftermath of traumatic events such as disasters. Individual psychological variables are an essential part of whether an individual is resilient to adverse circumstances. However, this model should include as part of the individual's environment wider family, community and societal attributes. It is suggested that the Five Part Model be expanded to include such family, community and societal attributes to account for the influence these have on an individual's psychological resilience. A multidimensional model of resilience is proposed that will need to be scientifically tested; however, it is proposed that this model has application to the variety of disciplines that are involved in the domain of resilience. In addition, this model attempts to address any interdisciplinary barriers that exist, by ensuring that individual, family, community, and societal attributes are considered holistically as part of resilience building.

Background. To evaluate the longitudinal course of psychiatric disorders in children of parents with panic disorder (PD) and major depression (MD) as they transition through the period of risk from childhood into adolescence.

Method. Over a 5-year follow-up, we compared psychiatric disorders in four groups of children: (1) offspring of parents with PD plus MD (n=136); (2) offspring of parents with PD without MD (n=27); (3) offspring of parents with MD but without PD (n=53); and (4) offspring of non-PD non-MD parents (n=103).

Results. Parental PD was significantly associated with increased risk for anxiety disorders, irrespective of parental MD. Parental MD was associated with increased risk for MD, disruptive behavior disorders, and deficits in psychosocial functioning, irrespective of parental PD.

Conclusions. These longitudinal findings confirm and extend previous cross-sectional results documenting significant associations between PD and MD in parents and patterns of psychopathology and dysfunction in their offspring.

The eye offers the unique possibility of direct visualization of microvessels in readily accessible tissues. Due to the compact anatomy of the eye, different microvascular beds of different embryological origin can be examined in albino mice without traumatic tissue preparation, Epifluorescence microscopy in combination with different fluorescent dyes has been applied. To observe individual cells in vessels, rhodamine 6G can be used to stain leukocytes and platelets, and acridine orange stains nuclei of leukocytes and endothelial cells. Fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran labels plasma.

Iris, limbus, conjunctival and choroidal vessels under normal and inflammatory conditions (endotoxin-induced uveitis) were examined in BALB/c mice and Lewis rats. Digital video technology can be applied to intravital microscopy with great benefit: video quality remains on a high level and the amount of time for the quantification procedure and the need of expensive software is reduced compared to classical video recording.

Young star clusters (<3 × 108 yr) in the Maqellanic Clouds (MC) can be used to test the current status of the theory of stellar evolution as applied to intermediate and massive stars. The color-magnitude diagram of many young clusters in the MC shows, unlike the case of clusters in our Galaxy, large numbers of stars in both the main sequence and post main sequence evolutionary phases. Usina a arid of stellar evolution models, synthetic cluster H-R diagrams are constructed and compared to observed color-magnitude diagrams to determine the age, age spread, and composition for any given cluster. In addition, for those cases where the data is of high quality, detailed comparisons between theory and observation can provide a diagnostic of the accuracy of the stellar evolution models. Initial indications of these comparisons suggest that the theoretical models should be altered to include: a larger value for the mixing length parameter (α), a larger rate of mass loss during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, and possibly convective overshoot during the core burning phases.

Since some of the earliest evolutionary calculations it has been found that post main sequence stars become red giants (e.g. Sandage and Schwarzschild, 1952). However the exact physical processes that lead to and determine the rate of redward evolution are not completely understood.

When the massive component in a close binary system evolves to fill its Roche lobe, mass transfer occurs and gas is accreted onto the companion star. Recently, the response of the unevolved secondary to accretion has been studied by a number of authors, but the emphasis has been on relatively massive stars which have a radiative envelope (Ulrich and Burger 1976; Flannery and Ulrich 1977; Kippenhalm and Meyer-Hofmeister 1977; Neo et al. 1977). The results show that the mass accepting star becomes overluminous and grows in radius until rapid mass transfer ultimately brings the two stars into contact. Such changes in the structure are caused by the steep increase in the specific entropy in the outermost layers and only a small amount of mass (about a tenth of the initial mass of the star) is accreted before contact is made. Thereafter, the expansion of the common envelope will lead to mass loss from the system. It is also found that, for a given accretion rate, the radial increase is much more conspicuous for a smaller mass star.